



































* 4 



























r 




















' 































































. 

. • 













































- I r 
















. - 

* 

• 

































• 


































»* 











\ 























* 



















c ^2 / o /v — 

omaiisr 

AND 

DEVELOPMENT 

OF 

Religious Ideas and Beliefs, 

AS MANIFESTED IN HISTORY 


AND 


SEEN BY REASON. 


BY MORRIS EINSTEIN. 


TITUSVILLE, PA.: 

DAILY COURIER STEAM PRINT. 


1871. 





I 


&L?d 


Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by 
Mokris Einstein, 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 












PREFACE. 


Those who may look for essentially new parts in these pages will, in all 
probability, find themselves disappointed. The very nature of the ob¬ 
jects treated of in this little volume forbids them. For in investigating 
“ The Origin and Development of Religious Ideas and Beliefs ” we arc 
naturally directed to search in History , and to be advised by her reports. 
But History is nothing else than the great collection, the great depository 
of Facts. Any one, then, who, like myself, is writing on a subject, or 
subjects, based on History , will have to consult, to give facts, as reported 
by History—not to make them. But the manner of selecting them, of 
judging of, or of exhibiting and representing, as also of connecting them, 
or of drawing deductions and;conclusions from them— that belongs to and 
is the business of the Author ; will be his part, for which he justly may 
praised or censured. Hence the marked difference in treating the same 
historical facts by various authors. For there is, because there necessari¬ 
ly must be, a very great variation by different individuals not only in re¬ 
gard to their views and sentiments, respecting the same facts , but also in 
their objects and aims that induce them to search in and study (vulgar as 
well as, so-called, “ Sacred”) History. 

In this respect, then, there may be and undoubtedly will be, found many 
new things in these pages. And I believe even that not their least merit 
(if there is any merit at all in them) well just be found to consist in the 
manner in which I treated and represented the “stubborn facts of History;” 
as also in the manner in which I showed the natural and logical conse¬ 
quences resulting from them. 

It is the III. Period especially, that will thus be found “ Peculiar” by 
the manner in which I treated The Reformation as well as the Great 0071 - 
sequences resulting from it. No question, then, but there will be a consid¬ 
erable number of my readers who will materially differ lrom me and my 
individual views, and from the deductions I made from these “Facts of 
History.” This, however, will be no more than I must expect aforehand, 
and could not be avoided if I was not willing (what, I hope, I never shall!) 
to sacrifice my own individual convictions , and Truth as I understand it, to 
— Popularity. Yet I hope that there will be none who will, or justly can, 
deny me fairness and truthfulness in representing facts, if there will be 
ever as many who may find fault with—my eyes in seeing facts, or with— 
my judgment in making conclusion from them. 

But whatever may be the opinions of the readers of these pages, and if 
they should be ever as much at variance with my own—as, no doubt, num- 



PREFACE. 


bers of them will be I am quite willing to grant them the right to differ from 
me and to have their own opinions (I only wish they were their'own) of these 
subjects tieated of in this volume (as, in fact, on any subject). But—I 
must also insist on and claim the same right for myself. If my kind read¬ 
ers will please bear that in mind, and if they then be willing to concede 
to me what I am so willing to grant them—I believe my book may be read 
with advantage, by and to everybody. The greatest advantage, however, 
it will afford, the best services it will render—not to those who are most 
in harmony with my own reasoning, nearest mj r own views of and on 
these subjects; for they have already done their thinking, have thus reach¬ 
ed the end at which the author aims—but rather to those who had never 
presented these subjects to them in that light', as also to those who have, of 
their own accord or by some other agency, commenced to examine, to 
reason on them, and are just beginning to free themselves from the su¬ 
perstitions, prejudices, and errors into which an early (ir) religious teach¬ 
ing, a wrong education and consequent habits of thinking and believing 
have led them ; but who have neither chance nor time to do all the read- 
ing and study lequired to make themselves fully as free as it is desirable 
foi them to be, and as it is the aim of the author to assist them to become. 

M. E. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 


** Dow Meu Differ in their Views of Religion.. 
CHAPTERn. Moral, and not Faith, the Only Standard of True 

Religion. 

CHAPTER III. What is Religion ?. 

CHAPTER IV. The Different Solutions of this Mystery." 

CHAPTER V. How Religious Ideas are Understood and Treated of 
by the Author. 

CHAPTER VI. How the Author Divides this Subject.’.' .*.’.’!.’.'!! 

THE FIRST PERIOD. 

PRIMITIVE MEN. 

CHAPTER I Primitive Men Originally Without any Religious Ideas. 
CriAr IRK II. How their First “Religious Ideas” Originated and 

were Developed into Sabinism... 

CHAPTER III. Priests, and how they Originated. . 

CHAPTER IV. By What Means these Priests Managed to Pemetu- 

ate their Power. .... 

CHAPTER V. Two Classes of Men—Priests and Masses.'.". .*‘' ‘.'. 
CHAPTER VI. The two Sorts of Religion-—That Of the Priests and 
that of the Masses. 

1 ST—B ABYLON IANS. 


CHAPTER I. The Religion of the Ancient Babylonians. 

CHAPTER II. Astronomical Attainments of the Babylonian Priest's 
CHAPTER III. Astronomicnl Attainments of the Babylonian 

Priests. (Continuation.). 

CHAPTER IV. Effect of the Knowledge of the Priests on the Reli¬ 
gion of the Babylouiaus.. 

2d— PERSIANS. 

CHAPTER I. Cyrus and the Mcdo—Persian Empire.—Zoroaster 

CHAPTER II. The Zend-Avesta and their Doctrines.* * ’ 

CHAPTER III. Alexander’s the Great, and the Mohammedan’s Con¬ 
quest of Persia Effect on the Religion of Zoroaster.. 


3d EGYPTIANS. 


PARE 

5 


12 


14 

15 


10 

18 

lit 


21 

24 


28 

29 


31 


32 


34 

30 

38 


CHAPTER I. Origin and Character of the Old Egyptian Reli¬ 
gion......*. 40 

CHAPTER II. The Religious Belief of the Egyptian Priests. 48. 

CHAPTER III. Metempsychosis as it was Undeistood by theV)id 

Egyptians. ... 44 

CHAPTER IV. Ceremonies in the Old Egyptian Religion.—Judg¬ 
ment of the Dead.—Mummies. !..... 45 

4tii—EAST INDIANS, OR IIINDOSTANS. 

CHAPTER I. Early Culture of Eastlndians.—Their Sublime Ideas 

of Deity. 47 

CHAPTER II. The Vedas (“Holy Books” of the Hindoos and their 

Teachings.*... 49 

CHAPTER III. Hindoo Mythology much Inferior to Hindoo Phi¬ 
losophy . 51 

CHAPTER IV. Hindoo Trimujdy or Trinity.—1st Brahma__ !..! 58 

CHAPTER V. Continuation.—2d Vishnu. 55 

CHAPTER VI. Continuation.—3d Shiva. 57 


X 




























CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


CHAPTER VII. Boodh and the “ Lower Divinities.”—The Sects... 
CHAPTER VIII. Priests and their Influence on the Masses. 

, 5th— CHINESE. 

CHAPTER I. Great Antiquity of China and its Culture. 

CHAPTER II. The Religions of China.—1. Religion of Confucius. 

Confucius and his Life... 

CHAPTER III. Continuation.—The Religion of Confucius. 

CHAPTER IV. Further Remarks on Confucius. 

CHAPTER V. The Religion of Lao Kynn. 

CHAPTER VI. 3—The Religion of Fo. 

CHAPTER VII. Doctrines of Fo’s Religion and its Sects. 

CHAPTER VIII. How Priests Corrupted Foe’s Philosophy. 

CHAPTER IX. 4 The Lamah Religion. 

CHAPTER X. General Remarks. 

Gth—JAPANESE. 

CHAPTER I. The Religious Sects of Japan—1. Confucius. 

CHAPTER II. 2. The Sin-Sin or Sinto Religion. 

CHAPTER III. B.Boodhism... 

CHAPTER IV. General Remarks on Japan. 

7th—GREEKS. 


57 

59 


01 

03 

07 

08 

09 

70 

72 

73 
75 
70 


78 

79 
81 
82 


CHAPTER I. Development of the Religion of Ancient Greece. 83 

CHAPTER II. Greek Mythology..... 84 

CHAPTER III. Greek Education.—The Priests. 80 

CHAPTER IV. The Character of the Greek Idolatry. 87 

CHAPTER V. Greek Philosophers and Christian Orthodoxy. 88 

CHAPTER VI. Strange Inconsistency of Orthodoxy. 89 

8th— ROMANS. 

CHAPTER I. Ancient Rome.—Anterior to Romulus. 90 

CHAPTER II. The Office of the Pontificate and other Priests iu 

Ancient Rome.. 91 

CHAPTER III. Character of the Religion and Culture of Ancient 
Rome. 92 

9tii— JEWS AND JUDAISM. 

CHAPTER 1. Preliminary Remarks to the Examination of Judaism 

and “The Holy Bible,”. 92 

CHAPTER IT. The Manner in which the Bible Ought to be Studied 

and in which the Author will do it. 90 

CHAPTER III. The Cosmogony of the Bible.. 97 

CHAPTER IV. Orthodox Demands in Regard to the Bible generally. 99 
CHAPTER V. Arrogant Claims, of Orthodoxy in Regard to the 

Bible.. 101 

CHAPTER VI. Judaism and the Bible.—Jewish Doctrines.—1. Mon¬ 
otheism . 103 

CHAPTER VII. The God—Idea of Moses and His Judaism. 105 

CHAPTER VII. 2 Immortality and a Future Life Unknown in the 

Old Testament. 107 

CHAPTER IX. The Reason why Christians—Denying the Obliga¬ 
tion of the Old Testament Commands—Yet Claim it a Revelation. 109 

CHAPTER X. 3. The “Messianic Idea” in Judaism. 110 

CHAPTER XI. 4. The Attonement—Idea in Judaism. Ill 

CHAPTER XII. Jewish Ceremonials.—1st the Sabbath. 114 

CHAPTER XIII. 2—Circumscission and Other Ceremonials. 117 




































CONTENTS. 


3 


SECOND PERIOD, 

1. JEWS AND JUDAISM. 

CHAPTER I. The Political Life of the Jews. 

CHAPTER II. Religious Sects of Ancient Jews.!.! ’. 

CHAPTER III. 1 . The Sects of the Pharisees. 

CHAPTER IV. 2. The Sect of the Saddueees.. 

CHAPTER V. 3. The Sect of the Essencs. 

CHAPTER VI. The Rivalries Between the Pharisees and Saddueees 

and their Effects.. 

CHAPTER VII. The so-called Rabbinical Writing's. 

CHAPTER VIII. The Mishnah.—Gamarali.—Talmud 
CHAPTER IX. Further History of the Jews and Judaism 

2 . CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 

L T,)e Regions Between Christianity and Judaism.. 
CHAPTER II. The Origin of .Christianity—-the New Testament 

CHAPTER III. The “Messianic Idea” in Christianity. 

CHAPTER IV. Examination of the so-called ‘Messianic Pronhecies ’ 
CHAPTER V. Continuation.—2. Gen. 22,18............ 

CHAPTER VI. Continuation.—3. Gen. 4$, 10. 

CHAPTER VII. Continuation .—1 “Symbolic Prophecies.’’&c 
CHAPTER VIII. Jesus as “Messiah” or “Saviour” 

CHAPTER IX. The Wonders Jesu.!1! 1.. 

CHAPTER X. Review of Testimonials of Jesus .—1 The Wonders 

CHAPTER XI. Continuation—2 The Prophecies. 

CHAPTER XII. Is Jesus the Promised Messiah . 

CHAPTER XIII. The True Messianic Idea of the Old Testament 
CHAPTER XIV. Continuation—the Messianie Idea of the New 

Testament. 

CHAPTER XV. W'hat is the Actual Character of Jesus* v. 

CHAPTER XVI. Continuation. 

CHAPTER XVII.Contradictions in the Teachings Jesu.. .* .* .*!.* * .* * * 
CHAPTER XVIII. History and Development of Christianity : Paul 

& Peter in their Controversy with Jewish Christians. 

CHAPTER XIX. The Apostles, their Disciples, the Councils ...." 
CHAPTER XX. The Council at Nice, Allan, Athanasius, thcT’iu’v 

CHAPTER XXI. Constantin’s Conversion..... y 

CHAPTER XXII. Changed Character of the Church after Const’ n. 
CHAPTER XXIII. The Bishop of Rome—His Arrogant Claims— 

pie. 

, Gregory VII_ 

5 apal Dominions.—The Decretals... 

CHAPTER XXVI. The Crusades. . 

CHAPTER XXVII. Indulgences. . 

CHAPTER XXNIII. “The Dark Ages !”... 

THE GREEK CHURCH.. v . 

CHAPTER I. (XXIX.) Its Origin and Doctrines. 

CHAPTER II. The Clergy of the Greek Church.* 

CHAPTER III. Divisions in the Greek Church. 

CHAPTER IV General History and Character of the Greek Church 

MOHAMMEDANISM. 

CHAPTER I Ancient Arabia and the Arabs. 

CHAPTER II. Moliammed. 

CHAPTER III. Mohammed in his Seclusion. 

CHAPTER IV. Mohammed as a Prophet. ..’*** 

CHAPTER V. Mohammed as Prophet. (Continued.). 

CHAPTER VI. Mohammed as Prophet—His Success. 

CHAPTER VII. Caliphs and the Caliphate. 

CHAPTER VIII. The Religion Mohammed’s.[ 


PAGE 

119 
122 
123 
125 

120 

127 

128 
129 
131 


132 

133 
133 
135 
130 

137 

138 

139 

140 
14 L 
143 
145 
140 

148 

149 
152 

154 

155 
157 
159 
100 
101 

103 

104 

105 
107 
109 
170 


173 

174 

175 
170 


177 

178 
180 
181 
182 

183 

184 
180 












































4 


CONTENTS. 


THIRD PERIOD. 

1. JEWS AND JUDAISM. 

CHAPTER I. The Jews and the Reformation.. 

CHAPTER II. Condition of the Jews Before and Alter the Refor¬ 
mation .V.. 

CHAPTER HI. Mendelsohn. 

CHAPTER IV. Meudelsohn’s Reformation and its Effects on Jews. 
CHAPTER V. The Effects of Mendelsohn’s Referms on the Jews 

and Judaism.—Continuation. 

CHAPTER VI. Exceptions and their Causes.... 

CHAPTER VII. The True Cause of these Reforms.. 

CHAPTER VIII. Continuation—France and the French Jews. 

CHAPTER IX. The Jews of (Catholic and Protestant) Germany... 
CHAPTER X. A Remark on Prussia that is Also Meant for Prot¬ 
estants. Elsewhere. 

CHAPTER XI. The Jews iu Other Parts of Europe. 

CHAPTER XII. The Jews of America... 

CHAPTER XIII. An Unfairness of Americans Towards Jews. 

CHAPTER XIV. A Comparison and a Lesson. 

2. CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 

CHAPTER I. Christianity as it Was Before the Reformation.—Em¬ 
peror Henry IV., and Pope Gregory VII. 

CHAPTER II. Corruption of the Church and the Clergy. 

CHAPTER III. Indulgences..... 

CHAPTER IV. Martin Luther and the Reformation. 

CHAPTER V. Martin Luther and the Reformation.—(Continuat’u.) 
CHAPTER VI. Luther, Henry VIII. and the Church of England... 

CHAPTER VII. Luther’s Doctrines..... 

CHAPTER VIII. Lutheranism and Lutherans. 

CHAPTER IX Luther, Melanehton andZwmglius. 

CHAPTER X.-John Calvin. 

CHAPTER XI. The Doctrines of Calvinism. 

CHAPTER XII. Arm in ins. 

CHAPTER XIII. The Remonstrants—Synod of Dort. 

CHAPTER XIV. Contrast Between Galvanism and Armianism. 

CHAPTER XV. A Lesson. 

CHAPTER XVI. The Great Consequences of the Reformation. 

CHAPTER XVII. Review ot the Church and Christianity Before 

the Reformation.: . 

CHAPTER XVIII. The Merit of Luther and the Other Reformers.. 

CHAPTER XIX. The Pilgrim-Fathers.. 

CHAPTER XX. Is Then the Reformation an Illusion ?. 

CHAPTER XXI. The Nature of the Great C’ns’q’uc’s of theRef’rm’n 
CHAPTER XXII. The Nature of the Great Consequences of the 

Reformation.—Continuation.—The Secular Improvements. 

CHAPTER XXIII. Honor to Whom Honor is Due. 

CHAPTER XXIV. Spiritualism. 

3. MOHAMMEDANISM AND PAGANISM. 

CHAPTER I. Progress of Turkey. 

CHAPTER II. Abdul-Aziz-Khan, Sultan of Turkey. 

CHAPTER III. Contrast between the Sultan and Christian Mou’ch’s. 

PAGANISM. 

CHAPTER I. Favorable changes in China. 

C. JAPAN. 

CHAPTER I. Pleasant Prospect in Japan. 

CHAPTER II. The Revolution in Japan. 

Resume. :. 


PAGE 

180 

190 

191 
193 


195 

197 

198 
200 
202 


203 

205 

200 

209 

200 


212 

213 

214 

215 
210 

217 

218 
210 
221 
222 

223 

224 

225 
220 

227 

228 


-V.vd 

230 

232 

234 

235 


240 

243 

253 


257 

257 

250 


261 


202 

203 

264 





































INTRODUCTION, 


CHAPTER I. 

HOW MEN DIFFER IN THEIR VIEWS OF RELIGION. 

However widely men may differ in their religious views 
opinions, or beliefs, they all agree at least as to their im¬ 
portance. The most devout religious zealot can have no 
higher opinion of the importance and influence of religion 
than the most ultra rationalist or the mostconfirmed sceptic 
will be willing to concede to it. There is, then, no difference 
between these antipodean representatives of belief in re¬ 
gard to the importance of religion, the immensity of her 
effects on men and their actions; but they differ as widely 
in regard to their understanding‘of, their w r ay of explaining 
religion, in respect to the nature of her effects on man, as 
they do in all or any of their individual views, opinions or be¬ 
liefs. And while the one claim an'undisputed correctness 
of their views and opinions, a sacredness of their belief, 
and that the only way to salvation—to happiness here and 
hereafter—was religion as they understand and explain 
it;—is this as obstinately denied by the others who contend, 
that religion is something incomprehensible, mysterious;— 
belief something individual; the effects of both at least as 
often pernicious as beneficial, and hence, reason and knowl¬ 
edge the only reliable guides for man, and a strictly moral 
life his only salvation. 



6 


INTRODUCTION. 


CHAPTER II, 

MORAL, AND NOT FAITH, THE ONLY STANDARD OF TRUE RELIGION. 

Could men ever agree to take, instead of mere (individu¬ 
al) belief, a pure moral as their standard of goodness and 
worthiness, there could be neither contention nor disagree¬ 
ment between them; for they all understand Moral, and 
are agreed as to her laws and essence. But Religion, beino* 
something superhuman, supernatural; neither demonstrable 
to nor comprehensible for anybody, consequently something 
inexplainable and merely to be believed in, must, of neces- 
B ity also be of a different conception, form and understand¬ 
ing in every one individual, and therefore men never will, 
never can agree in their religion or belief. 

It is, furthermore, this individual character of religion 
that makes it so delicate a subject, and so difficult a task 
to treat it in a manner satisfactory to all. For Truth and 
Facts—truth,as elicited by judicious reasoning, and facts as 
proved by science and experience, must at once be the end 
to be reach by, as the basis to rest on, our investigations of 
religious subjects. But truth is only acknowledged as such 
by, and only welcome to, the thousands of biassed, preju¬ 
diced believers when—it is their truth—when it coincides 
with their own ideas, and does not compel them to give up 
more or less of their long cherished notions as false and er¬ 
roneous; -and facts are only admitted, the results of science 


INTRODUCTION. 


and experience even are only accepted by them when they 
are supporting their own opinions, corroborating their own 
views. But whenever any truth contravenes their belief, 
what they hold to be true; whenever any facts or experi¬ 
ences, any results of scientific disquisitions explode their old 
fashioned, untenable, yet to them venerable notions, then 
their ire is roused ; their zeal fired. They not only refuse 
x to hear camly, to investigate impartially the claims or mer¬ 
its of an opposite truth, but reject it with contempt, without 
deining, or rather daring, to inquire into its merits. Yea, 
more ! They not only reject such, to them new, truths, facts 
or results with indignation, but even scorn, hate, condemn 
and persecute those who maintain, promulgate or defend 
them. And yet it is but these impartial investigations in¬ 
to the nature of things; these scientific divings into the 
recesses of nature and the bringing out of hidden truths by 
them; thes£ fearless soundings of facts in order to enrich 
and rectify our knowledge that ought to be the foundation 
of our belief, the monitors of our actions; as it is they that 
constitute and manifest the excellence and superiority of 
man over mere brutes. For man does not, and shall not, 
act unthinkingly—moved only by mere instinct—but by 
reasoning consciousness. He shall, therefore, not be 
satisfied with the sum of already acquired truths, but shall 
never cease to examine, strive to enlarge and endeavor to 
augment and improve them; shall for ever aspire to newer 
and higher truths, to a more and better understanding of 
nature, to a fuller and better knowledge of himself, the 
essence of his being and destination, his desires, aspirations 
and means of his true happiness. 


8 


INTRODUCTION". 


CHAPTER III. 

WHAT IS RELIGION ? 

“ But all this,” say the believers par excellence, “ all this 
will be gained by, all this will be the result of religion, 
when it is true and genuine.” 

NOW WHAT IS RELIGION ? 

Common and often used as this word “ religion,” and 
short as this question is, yet I hold it rather a hard one to 
answer, and although every one may claim that he “ has 
got religion,” yet it will still be rather a difficult matter to 
define clearly, incontestably and generally acceptably its 
true meaning. For whatever our answer to this question 
may be, it will, nay, it necessarily must be, more or less 
tinctured with our individuality. It will thus even not 
help us any (as we presently shall see) to consult authori¬ 
ties. Let us take Webster as an instance. In his Diction¬ 
ary he defines the word “Religion” (ad 4): 

“ Religion is any system of faith and worship. In this 
“sense religion comprehends the belief of Pagans and Mo¬ 
hammedans as well as of Christians; any religion consist¬ 
ing in the belief of a superior power or powers. Thus we 
“speak of the religion of Turks, of Hindoos, as well as of 
“the Christian religion. We speak of false religion as well 
“as of true religion.” 


Introduction. 


9 


So we see that even by this general definition of Web¬ 
ster’s we are not assisted any in answering this knotty 
question ; for, according to him, it may be “ any religion 
consisting in the belief of a superior power or powers 
governing the world,” and is, therefore, again but individual 
opinion, as it must also be what to believe, or how to 
worship that “power or powers,” and both, belief and wor¬ 
ship, may yet be “false or true.” 

But even if we adopt his more special definition (as ad 1): 
“ Religion in a comprehensive sense, includes a belief in 
“God, in the revelation of his will to man; in man’s obliga¬ 
tion to obey his commands; in a state of reward and 
“ punishment; and in man’s accountability to God,” 
we are not much forwarder in answering the above 
question fully and satisfactorily, for this definition only 
changes the point in question, and it must now be asked 
(what is equally unanswerable), Who or what is God ? 
Which is his true revelation ? (For there are, as every 
body must be aware of, a great many claimed as such); and 
finally, Which are his commands that it is “man’s obligation 
to obey ?” 

I am full well aware of the strenuous opposition to these 
latter questions from some quaters. For the generality of 
men, the majority of the confessors of religion, who, what¬ 
ever else their education or grade of culture may be, cling, 
in this special point, with tenacity to their preconceived 
notions, to their early received ideas, strengthened, as they 
generally are, by the influence of education, teaching, habits 
and social surroundings and connections, and will stig, 
matize even the mere putting of these questions as some¬ 
thing “very impious” and “blasphemous.” Yet, they must 
be put; must be put in spite of their “ pious horror” of 
such “ungodliness,” and every thinking, mind, every philp- 


10 


INTRODUCTION. 


sophical inquirer will put—but no one answer them. For 
it is beyound the grasp of the human mind to compre¬ 
hend religion and her transcendental subjects. Hence, 
it cannot possibly satisfy the unbiased, rational mind, the 
honest, truth-seeking inquirer to be told that he “must” 
accept a generally acknowledged truth as such,because of its 
being thus generally acknowledged and believed in by 
others; or, that he “must” abstain from investigating it 
himself, because of its having been “ long ago and often” 
investigated by others, whose averments he, therefore, 
“must” accept without scrutinizing or even doubting them. 
Such arguments (?) will only have any weight with him 
whose reason has become vailed, whose judgment biassed 
by prejudice, by a habit of thinking, or rather not think¬ 
ing, on these subjects; but it cannot possibly have any 
weight or conviction with the free and independent thinker, 
who will, nay must insist on investigating them himself, 
must strive to find out the unadulterated truth. And yet, 
how will, how can even he find her out, since this truth is 
beyond finding out, is beyond human understanding, is 
undemonstratable to human comprehension, and must for¬ 
ever raemain a mystery ! 

“The answer of pure logic is held to be” says the 
English writer, Mr. Herbert Spencer, when speaking of 
“ The relativity of all knowledge,” “that- by the limits of 
our intelligence we are rigorously confined within the rela¬ 
tive, and that any theory transcending the relative can be 
tapght only as pure negation, or as a non-existence.” 
“ The absolute is conceived merely by a negative of conceiv- 
ability,” writes Sir William Hamilton. «The Absolute 
and the Infinite,” says Mr.Mansel, “are thus like the incon¬ 
ceivable and imperceptable, names, indicating not a subject 
of thought or consciousness at all, but the mere absence of 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


the conditions under which consciousness is possible.” 
“ From which abstracts,” Mr. Spencer goes on to say, “may 
be conduced the conclusion, that since reason can not war¬ 
rant us in affirming the positive existence of what is cog¬ 
nizable only as a negative, we cannot rationally affirm the 
positive existence of anything beyond phenomena.” 

And when previously speaking of “Ultimate religious 
ideas,” and after having most searchinglv scrutinized the 
three cardinal forms of them—Atheism, Pantheism and 
Theism—the same author says: “ Passing over the consid¬ 
eration of credibility, and confining ourselves to that of 
conceivability, we see that Atheism, Pantheism and Theism, 
when rigorously analized, severally proveto be unthinkable.” 


12 


INTRODUCTION. 


CHAPTER IV. 

THE DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS OF THIS MYSTERY. 

And yet there are those who claim to understand this 
mystery perfectly; there is no want of men who will pre¬ 
tend that, to them, it is no mystery at all; that they not 
only are in possession of a full and satisfactory solution of 
it themselves (i. e.'to themselves), but that also every one 
may learn to understand who will understand it. All that 
was required, they say, is Fatih !—faith in their solution of 
it, was just to believe as they do, and that it was, 
therefore, very impious and wicked not to have that faith, 
not thus to believe. This would, indeed, be a very easy 
solution of this “insolubable mystery;” only that it is “like 
the play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out,” and no solution 
at all; none at least, that, if it ever satisfies the thus be¬ 
lieving, can possibly satisfy the investigating philosopher, 
the honest inquirer after truth. Besides, these believers, 
these champions of this easy method forget, that there is 
neither concord nor harmony between the different believ¬ 
ers themselves; that they are in as much, or perhaps more, 
disagreement among themselves than they severally are 
with th©se who do not believe in either of their (numerous 
and various) “solutions;” that it, further, was mere chance, 
such as nativity, education, social conditions, and similar 
causes that made them believers in their truths, others in 

B 


INTRODUCTION. 


13 


opposite truths, and others again believers in neither of 
them. In short, that it was but their individuality that 
made them the believers, as it was the others individuality 
that made them the sceptics they are. 


14 


INTRODUCTION. 


CHAPTER V. 

HOW RELIGIOUS IDEAS ARE UNDERSTOOD AND TREATED OF BY 

THE AUTHOR. 

In speaking, then, of Religion or Religious Ideas, it can 
not be my intention to speak of them as the absolute truth 
or falsehood of the one or the other; but merely as the 
manifestations of the beliefs of individuals or nations “in a 
power or powers governing the world,” and of their man 
ner of “worshiping it or them” at different periods; which, 
of course, will not exclude the propriety of my making any 
remarks on, or of comparing them among themselves ; nor 
of showing their relations to, or bearings on, Moral, Reasen 
and Science. Also, in speaking of the “Origin and Devel¬ 
opment of Religious Ideas and Beliefs,” I can only mean 
to speak of the genesis, causes, first manifestations and 
subsequent forms of these “Ideas and beliefs;” of the 
changes they underwent, and of the agencies of these 
changes by different nations, in course of time and in the 
progress of events. 


INTRODUCTION. 


15 



CHAPTER VI. 


ITOW THE AUTHOR DIVIDES THIS SUBJECT. 


In thus understanding and treating this subject we may 
properly divide it into threedifferent periods. 

I. From the earliest commencement of history to the 
commencement of the Christian era. (Embracing the Reli¬ 
gions of the Primitive Men, Babylonians, Persians, Egyp¬ 
tians, East Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Greeks, Romans; 
also that of the Jews.) 

II. From the commencement of the Christian era to the 
Reformation of Luther, 1517. (Embracing the continuation 
of Judaism; the origin of the Christian and Mohammedan 
Religions and their development to the end of the 15th 
century.) 

III. From the Reformation to Our Own Time. (Embrac¬ 
ing the further development of the last named three reli¬ 
gions, events and matters connected therewith; also the 
former and present state of Turkey, China and Japan.) 


ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT 

-OF- 

RELIGIOUS IDEAS AND BELIEFS. 

I 

THE FIRST PERIOD. 


From the Earliest Commencement of History to the Com¬ 
mencement of the Christian Era. 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


CHAPTER I. 

PRIMITIVE MEN OHIGIEAI.LT WITHOUT ANT RELIGIOUS IDEAS. 

The Primitive Men have, it is most probable, been with- 
out any “ Religious Ideas,” at least, without any defined 
religion in any form whatever. They were, in respect to 
their mental state, only “ large children,” “wanting, like 
them, not only experience, but also observation, reflection 
and judgment—the source and foundation of all ideas. In 
course of time, however, as they gained more of these in¬ 
dispensable elements of thought, their minds began to ex¬ 
pand and to develop themselves, to receive conceptions, and 
to be stored with ideas. But, like children again, their con¬ 
ceptions were, and for a long time yet, only derived from 





PRIMITIVE men: 


11 


the appearance of things, and their ideas, consequently, 
often false and erroneous. There can he scarcely any doubt, 
but the most striking phenomena of Nature made also the 
first and strongest impressions on them, and caused them to 
reflept on what astonished them. But as there was nothing 
that could have produced a greater effect on these inexpe¬ 
rienced beings than the SUN ; nothing that was more capa¬ 
ble of attracting their attention than the Celestial Bodies , 
we find, naturally enough, their first reflections and obser¬ 
vations also directed towards them. 


18 


PRIMITIVE MEN* 


CHAPTER II. 

IIOW TIIEIR FIRST “ RELIGIOUS IDEAS*’ ORIGINATED AND WERE 
DEVLOPED INTO SABAINISM. 

The simple minds of these “primitive children,” for they 
can scarcely be called men yet, conceived the great power 
in these far-off bodies, experienced the uninterrupted effects 
of the one or the other of them, and, child-like, considered 
these powerful beings—beings, as often pernicious as bene- 

. ficial in their influences on them-as living beings , 

possessed, as well, of a capricious will as of unrestrained 
power, and they naturally concluded, that good as well as 
evil emanated from them. These sentiments produced awe 
and fear, as these again engendered the first “ Religious 
Ideas,” which, in uncultured men, consist merely in an 
undefined something of awe and fear. Naturally enough 
followed then a desire to gain the good will, the favor of 
these dreaded, powerful beings, and thus were these, yet 
dim and undefined, ideas developed into some kind of wor¬ 
ship and a rude form of religion:— Sabainism , L e ., the 
worship of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, became thus very 
early, and as it were ot itself, the religion of the earliest 
men and oldest nations for thousands of years, even after 
these had already greatly advanced in culture and civiliza¬ 
tion, as it is even at these late days yet the religion of some 
peoples ot ourglobe. 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


19 


CHAPTER III. 

PRIESTS, AND HOW THEY ORIGINATED. 

Nature, then, became thus everywhere the source of 
“ Religious Ideas” as well as the tutoress of nations. But 
some individuals, either by chance, or by virtue of their 
superior genius, came early into possession ol some deeper 
insight into the workings of Nature and of some of her 
mysteries; learned the healing power of some organir or 
inorganir bodies,the hidden properties of others, and gained 
by aid of this knowledge, superiority and influence over 
their fellowmen. For man, and particularly the ignorant 
and uneducated, lias, at once, a natural inclination to,* and 
a singular kind of dread of, everything wonderous and 
mysterious, as for the man who is familiar with these won¬ 
ders and mysteries, an undefined something of awe. Not 
long, then, and these better informed ones, these JEmbrioes 
of Savans, had an almost unbounded power and influence 
over their fellowmen, of which they soon grew to be very 
fond, and which they as soon learned to prize, and to put 
to use. And when they then, in time, cunningly coupled 
enchantments, conjurations and benedictions with their 
wonderous feats—the astonishment, fear andawe of the igno 
rant, as the influence and power of these incipient jugglers 
over them, became boundless. 

To preserve this influence, and to perpetuate these advan- 


20 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


tages and the estimation it gave them in the eyes of their 
fellowmen, became simultaneously the natural desire and 
ambitious aim of these novices of jugglers. They clothed 
to that end their little knowledge in “ secrets” and “ mys¬ 
teries,” and restricted a communication of it to members 
of their own families. Thus grew up some distinguished 
men and families, as for instance those of the Shamans, or 
Priests, among the Babylonians. These several Shaman- 
families soon united, brought their cunning Shaman-tricks 
into some kind of a system, surrounded them, their en¬ 
chantments, conjurations, &c., &c., with the nimbus of 
sanctity; adopted for themselves a proper diet and especial 
rule of life, a distinguishing style of dress, imposing cere¬ 
monies for the exercise of their “supernatural powers” (Re¬ 
ligious Rites), and succeeded by these means to form not 
only a separate and superior class, but also to exclude every 
one not belonging to their families or class, from partici¬ 
pating in their secrets and mysteries, and the powers, priv¬ 
ileges and and advantages resulting therefrom. 


C 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


21 


CHAPTER IV. 

BY WHAT MEANS THESE PRIESTS MANAGED TO PERPETUATE 
THEIR POWER. 

Thus it was that among the Primitive Men and oldest 
nations originated Priests, and with and through them, 
religion; as yet, of course, consisting only in some few and 
rude “ Religious Rites” and forms. Two things, however, 
as already indicated above, were soon found necessary, 
even indispensable, for these priests themselves, and for the 
preservation of their power and influence founded on their 
“religion”:—Secrecy, and Increas of Knowledge. The for¬ 
mer, as we have seen in the last chapter, they endeavored 
to secure by rigorously excluding every one from partici¬ 
pating in their “secrets” and “mysteries,” who was not a 
member of their class or of some one of their families; and 
the other they gained by organizing, by withholding di¬ 
vers “secrets” and knowledge from younger, or priests of a 
lower class or degree, and initiating but those of a higher 
or the highest class into all their “secrets” and “mysteries,” 
and into all the knowledge they possessed; making, at the 
same time, a constant observation of Nature and an assid¬ 
uous study of her different manifestations and phenomena, 
obligatory to all classes. By these means they succeeded 
in gaining not only both these ends—secrecy and knowl¬ 
edge—but also to augment and perpetuate their influence 


22 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


and power resulting from and depending on them. It was, 
then, in nowise so much the love of, and interest in, knowl¬ 
edge itself, its value and benefit, as well for themselves as 
for others, that led these men to seek after it so earnestly, 
to search so assiduously into the first elements of science, as 
rather a thirst for power, a desire for honor, and a 
burning ambition—characteristic traits of that same class 
of men even to this very day. 


Primitive men. 


23 


CHAPTER V. 

TWO CLASSES OF MEN-PRIESTS AND MASSES. 

But while the priests, thus starting from the rudiments 
and first elements of knowledge, went on increasing it step 
by step, enshrouding it in mysteries, and enveloping it in 
ceremonies, remained the rest of men, “ The Masses,” in a 
benighted state of ignorance. These better informed 
priests, however, far from pitying and aiding to enlighten 
them, conspired rather to prevent it, to keep them in igno¬ 
rance and dependence. And thus it is that we find among 
the ancient nations, and for a long, long while yet, as far 
as Religion is concerned and Knowledge, but two classes 
of men : Priests and Masses—the one teaching and the 
other, believing. The one made a secret of what they knew, 
the others received with thanks and veneration what the 
former deigned to reveal unto them. The one assumed to 
be in exclusive possession not only of better knowledge, 
but also of just reasoning and a superior wisdom ; the oth¬ 
ers gave their own reason captive unto the belief in this 
arrogated excellence of the former. The one, finally, be* 


24 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


lieved themselves, at least pretended to be, beings of a high 
er order; and the others reverendly submitted to this 
claimed superiority and acknowledged it, “piously.” Thus 
Religion, as every thing else partaining to it, was left to¬ 
tally in the hands of the priests and managed by them and 
in their interest solely; while the deluded masses reverenced 
them, respected their will and “ holy office,” and obeyed 
their commands even as those of Deity itself. 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


25 


CHAPTER VI. 

THE TWO SORTS OP RELIGION—THAT OF THE PRIESTS AND 
THAT OP THE MASSES. 

As a consequence of this we find, further, as two sorts of 
men, so also two sorts of religions among the Ancients: 
The religion of and for the Priests, and that of and for the 
Masses. The former was founded on (the priests’) supe¬ 
rior knowledge of Nature assisted by Science (as far as they 
had any), and was, therefore, Pantheism. But not 
that of the others, the masses. These were yet too igno¬ 
rant to comprehend the truths at which the former had 
arrived only by dint of diligent study, a severe discipline, 
and the accumulated experiences of many centuries. It 
would, then, have been useless to have taught them these 
truths in their fulness, plainness and abstractions, even if 
it had not been so very antagonistic to priestly aim, pristly 
rule and priestly interest. A substitute was, therefore im¬ 
peratively required, and the sagacity and acuteness of the 
priests was not long in finding one in Symbols and Cere¬ 
monies. The priests, then, taught their higher truths con¬ 
cealed under Symbols, under certain Forms and Ceremo¬ 
nies ; prescribed the Sacrifices to be made to, and the mode 
of Worship rendered unto the “Gods 5” a number of Feasts 
to their honor, and cunningly, instituted themselves as 
the “ Mediators” between the believing worshipers and 


26 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


their “Gods;” the “ Interpreters” of these latter’s will— 
their “Holy Servants” and “Especial Favorites.” This, 
of ceurse, gave them again additional influence and power 
over the masses, who, by taking the symbols themselves 
for the truths they were intended only to represent or to 
convey, could not elevate themselves to the Pantheism of 
the priests and became Idolators; worshiping not Truth 
or Nature, but their Symbols only. Their religion was, 
therefore, Sabainism combined with Fetishism. 

Such was the state into which the first “Religious Ideas 
and Beliefs” had develeped themselves, or were made to 
develop themselves, I rather should say, in most of the 
East and West Asiatic countries, as in Babylonia for in¬ 
stance, and North Africa, as in Egypt, the seats of the first 
men and oldest nations. The Shamans, Magi, Priests, or 
whatever names they gave themselves, were assiduously 
studying Nature, her laws and phenomena, the properties 
of bodies &c., &c., and were, consequently, as we have 
seen, steadily progresssing in Knowledge and Science. 
But as they were Pantheist, this advancement in knowl¬ 
edge and science,, in understanding and comprehending 
Nature, must necessarily also have had a corresponding 
effect on their “Religious Ideas” and have affected their 
practical religion. Quite different, however, was it again 
with the Masses, the bulk of the people or nation. Their 
progress in knowledge and science was but slow, and con¬ 
fined chiefly to such parts of them as every-day-life and ex¬ 
perience, or those arts, commerce, navigation, &c., &c., 
which they practiced (and which were not altogether in¬ 
considerable) naturally promoted. But in their religion 
they depended solely and entirely on their priests; could 
not, and dared not, make any ' alteration or improvement 


PRIMITIVE MEN. 


27 


than such, as these may, from time to time, have made for 
them. 

Thus we find that it was thousands of years ago just as 
it still is, and as it, probably, will be yet a considerable 
time to come—a low, degraded, supernatural religion for 
the masses, manufactured for them by the priests in order to 
govern them by; and a refined, rational, natural religion 
for the priests themselves!—a religion, so intensely inter¬ 
woven, so totally founded on, and so essentially connected 
with Science, that it is almost impossible to separate the 
one from the other. 

Such, then was the “Origin of Religious Ideas and Be¬ 
liefs,” and such the “Development” they took, or were, by 
the agency of priests, made to take among the Ancients 
generally. Let us uow follow up this “Development” by 
each of the most renowned nations of Antiquity, separately. 


28 


BABYLONIANS. 


1ST—BABYLONIANS. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE RELIGION OE THE ANCIENT BABYLONIANS. 

Thus it was that the religion of the ancient Babylonians 
originated, which was Sabainism. Their chief God was, 
therefore, the Sun, whom they worshiped under the name 
of Belus. This name, however, was with them more than 
merely the name of their God; it was but partly astrolagc — 
mythological, and partly historical. The ancient Babylo¬ 
nians had, namely, several “Founders of Dynasties” of that 
name, as well as the God. It was, doubtless, as well for 

rulers as for the God, derived from the Shemitic word :_ 

Baal, which, in that language, signifies Lord, Master, and 
seems to have been the name of a (perhaps afterwards dei¬ 
fied ?) King, whose name became, by and by, interwoven 
with that of the God. 


D 


BABYLONIANS. 


29 


CHAPTER II. 

ASTRONOMICAL ATTAINMENTS OF THE BABYLONIAN PRIESTS. 

We find the Babylonians at a very early period already 
considerably civilized. According to the Bible, they pos¬ 
sessed rich and populous cities and formed a mighty king¬ 
dom at a time when the Jewish Patriarchs were still 
nomades, and the Babylonian Shamans (priests) had al¬ 
ready made great progress in arts and sciences long before 
Jacob “went down into Egypt with a family of seventy 
persons.” But it was especially Astronomy which the 
Babylonian priests very early and greatly cultivated; for 
it was to them not merely a science —it was their religion, 
and their priestly office, their influence over their “masses” 
as their veneration by them—all depended on that science 
and their proficiency in it. All other knowledge was, then, 
subordinated to it and cultivated by them either as auxil¬ 
iaries to their craft, or as means to keep the masses in 
dependence and in awe of them. The places of study for 
these priests (schools?) as well as of practicing their jug¬ 
glery were the Temples. The greatest and most magnificent 
temple in all Babylon—the Belus Temple —was, therefore, 
dedicated by them to the Sun, and in its great tower—the 
renowned “Tower of Belus”—they kept the archives of their 
astronomical observations, which are said to have reached 
back to astonishingly high antiquity. The Greek Philoso- 

E 


-50 


BABYLONIANS. 


pher Calisthenes, who was at Babylon with Alexander the 
G., was told there by the Babylonian historian Berosus, 
that 402,000 years before his time (/) the Axis of the Earth 
was parallel with the Ecliptic^ (which now, as is well known, 
forms almost an angle of 23 1-2 degrees). The same Gre¬ 
cian philosopher also states, that their written astronomical 
observations embrace a period of 1903 years; according to 
which, (fixing for Alexander the common time of 331 B. C.) 
they must have commenced 2234 years before Christ! 
When we then further consider, as we must, that a period 
of mere oral traditions must have preceeded them—how 
far would this carry back the astronomical observations 
(which were also at the same time the Literary Culture and 
mythological speculations) of the Babylonians ? And yet 
they appear comparatively late in the light of History, and 
much later than those of Egypt. 


BABYLONIANS. 


31 


CHAPTER III. 

ASTRONOMICAL ATTAINMENTS OF THE BABYLONIAN PRIESTS. 

( Continuation .) 

It was but between Nebuchadnezzer and Cyrus (Y47— 
558 B. C.) that we find the Babylonian priests of The 
Tower of Belus, as also the Egyptian priests, in possession 
of important discoveries in astronomy (which, however, the 
priests of both these countries will have gained independ¬ 
ently of each other). They (both) divided the year in 
365i days; taught, that the Moon was the smallest of 
all the planets; nearest the earth; herself dark, and her 
light borrowed. They also explained the Eclipses of the 
Moon, correctly, by the shadow of the earth, and must, 
consequently, have also been aquainted with the spherical 
form of the latter. Even the circumfranee of the Earth, 
they fixed pretty approximately, declaring, that “A man of 
a good step could finish his travels around the earth in 
about the same time as the sun.” Now, if we fix the cir¬ 
cumference of the earth at a round 24,000 miles, we have 
(24,000 : 365 l-4)=65{4gj miles dtAly travel —a by no means 
too great distance not to be traveled in 24 hours by “a 
man of a good step.” 


Babylonians, 


¥2 


CHAPTER IV. 

EFFBRT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRIESTS ON THE RE¬ 
LIGION OF THE BABYLONIANS. % 

These priest or “Chaldeans” as the latter (and from them 
the nation?) were called, had thus without the assistance of 
instruments which the astronomers of our days posses, ar¬ 
rived at such results and attained to such knowledge, 
that they could make their own Almanacs, and easily 
predict coming events and phenomena, &c., &c., all of 
which, of course, contributed greatly to strengthen their 
hold on the masses, to augment their veneration by the 
latter, and to “ develop,” at the same time, not only their 
own, pantheistic, but also the idolatric religion ot the 
masses. For with the increased knowledge of the priests, 
the “Gods” (symbols) for the former were also to be in¬ 
creased, or modified, and Feasts and Ceremonies multiplied. 
And though the Baylonians (the masses) remained still what 
they ever had been—Sabainists—yet these discoveries of 
their priests and their progress must necessarily also have 
had more or less influence on,and aflected the religion of the 
masses. How much, however, or how essentially, the 
religion of the latter, or of the Babylonians generally, had 
been changed or “developed” by the advent of the Chal¬ 
deans (a much less cultivated Northern people), by their 
conquest of Babylonia, by their thus becoming the Lords, 


BABYLONIANS. 


33 

and their priests (who were also and especially called 
“Chaldeans”) and their religion dominant in that country 
and at that period—we have, as desirable and interesting 
as it ever might be, no means of ascertaining. History 
itself is silent on this important point of that great event, 
and other data are either too doubtful and unreliable, or 
totally wanting. 


34 


PERSIANS. 


2d— PERSIANS. 

CHAPTER I. 

CYRUS AND THE MEDO—PERSIAN EMPIRE.—ZOROASTER. 

A very important change occurred, about that time, in 
the religion of the Babylonians’ neighbors—the Medes ; a 
change, too, which soon, and lastingly, affected the one as 
well as the other and their religions. Cyrus, the great 
conqueror of Babylon and of most of Western Asia, had 
there established his great Medo—Persian Empire, adopted 
the reformed religion of Zoroaster , and made it thus the 
prevailant one over a great portion of Asia. 

Zoroaster, namely, although himself one of the Median 
Magi, (priests), commenced to preach and to agitate there 
against them and the errors in their religion (about 600 
B. C.), and became thus, if not the founder of a new, yet a 
very important reformer of the old Median theology. At 
first he and his reformes were strongly opposed by the 
Magi, for which he accursed them. But when they, some 
time after, accepted his reforms, he re-organized them (the 
Magi), and divided them into three classes:—Disciples, 
Masters and High-Masters. He instituted them also a* 
Guardians of his reformed religion, as Mediators between 
God and men, and as Assistants of the King as Counsellors 
and Judges. This otherwise rather liberal reformer was in 


PERSIANS. 


35 


general quite partial towards his priests. Besides honors 
and powers great and numerous, he gave them also large 
levenues, and the tenth of all the increase, and taught in 
regard to it, “ And if your good works were even more 
“numerous than the leaves on the trees, the drops in the 
“rain, the stars on heaven, or the sand on the sea; yet 
“they would be of no avail to you if they were not agreea¬ 
ble to Destur. But the good will of this ‘ Guide to the 
“Way of Bliss’ can only be gained by giving faithfully the 
tenth of all you possess.” 


36 


PERSIANS. 


CHAPTER II. 

THE ZEND-AVESTA AND THEIR DOCTRINES. 

The doctrines and principles of his religion, Zoroaster 
laid down in the (5) Books of Zend-Avesta (The Living 
Word); according to which there existed “ One Highest 
Spiritual Being ”—Zerwana Akharana—(Time without 
Limit) which produced through Honover (The Breathing 
Word) two other “ Divine Beings;”—a good one—Ormuzd 
—and an evil one—Aliriman. These two again became 
the authors of all the rest of (good or evil) Spirits, and of 
all corporeal bodies, as each of them—according to its 
nature—the author of every thing good, or everything evil. 
The nature of the first of them consists of the purest light— 
He is himself thr wisest, best and most perfect being, will 
and creates only what is good. Ahriman’s nature was, 
originally, also light; but having envied Ormuzd’s light, 
he darkened, and finally lost his own. Ormuzd created 
also 6 “Immortal Spirits of Light” for the service of his 
throne; 28 “Subordinate Genii” and a multitude of “ Hu¬ 
man Souls.” Aliriman, on his part, created 6 “Arch Dews” 
(Evil Spirits) and numberless “ Spirits of Darkness” or 
“Subordinate Dews.” For 3000 years Ormuzd reigned 
alone, and then created the manyfold beings of the Cor¬ 
poreal World ; last of all Man. After this he rested, and 
celebrated with his “ good Spirits” the “ First Feast of 


PERSIANS. 


37 


Creation.” He reigned again 3000 years in this “World 
of Bliss and Innocense.” In the next, equally great period, 
commences the struggle between “Light” and “Darkness,” 
Ormuzd and Ahriman—and both divide struggling, their 
dominion over the world. The following 3000 years extend 
and strengthen, first the victory of Ahriman; but later his 
power succombs; the Dews sink into nothingness; their 
former prince glorifies Ormuzd and—vanishes; the dead 
will be resurrected; the original reign of the “ Blessed 
Spirits” under the dominion of Armuzd, will return. The 
world would thus have a duration of 12,000 years. The 
12 Signs of the Zodiacus play also a considerable role in 
all this, and 1000 years are allotted to each of them. 

To Ormuzd’s dominion belongs, further, everything in 
the corporeal world that is good, clean and useful in men, 
animals or plants ; but everything evil, unclean and perni¬ 
cious, belongs to Ahriman. Men are either the servants of 
Ormuzd—through wisdom and virtue;—or the slaves of 
Ahriman—through folly and vice. The true servants of 
Ormuzd is known by cleanliness and benevolence in mind and 
deed; by his exertions to extend the domain of Ormuzd in 
begetting and bringing up good children; by fostering 
useful annimals and plants; by cultivating and improving 
the soil; and by exterminating all that is unclean and per¬ 
nicious : thus lessenining the domain of his adversary— 
Ahriman. He will also frequently clean his body by 
bathing, and his soul by prayers—“disinterested prayers 
for all the servants of Ormuzd.” These prayers will be 
performed on high mountains surrounded by a pure atmos¬ 
phere; or by the fire —“the venerable symbol of Deity” 
(i. e. the Sun); or, at least, by turning the face towards the 
Sun. The soul of him who will perform all this will be 
carried on etherial wings over the bridge Ishinewah to the 


38 


PERSIANS. 


smiling Ormuzd and into the “Empire of Light;” but 
the soul of him who is wicked and vicious will tremblingly 
fly to the “ Realm of Darkness ” where the terrible 
Ahriman thrones. Zoroaster saw both regions. 


CHAPTER III. 

Alexander’s the great, and the Mohammedan’s conquest 

OF PERSIA EFFECT ON THE RELIGION OF ZOROASTER. 

Such was the reformed religion of Zoroaster, which soon 
spread over a great portion of the Orient, and became, un_ 
der Cyrus, the religion of the court, flourishing and dom¬ 
inant for a couple of hundred years until confined to the 
Magi only by Alexander the Great. But the Arsacides 

Sarcinides —these latter the descendants of Zoroaster_ 

restituted it again after Alexander’s death, and made it for 
another long period the dominant religion of Persia, and 
neither persecutions nor revolutions could since entirely 
destroy it. 

When the Mohammedans (in the Yth century A. C.) 
conquered Persia, and forced their religion upon that 
country, the adherents to Zoroaster’s religion, preferring 
flight to appostacy, sought, and found, an asylum in the 
Desert of Kirman and in Hindostap; for themselves, their 
“Baered Books” and the “Sacred Fire,” which they carried 
along with them from Persia. Those who remained in 
Persia, are there called Guebers; tnose who werit into 
India, are there called Parses, i. e. “Unbelievers” or “Fire 



PERSIANS. 


30 

Worshippersbut they call themselves “Confessers of the 
True belief.” The Guebers are industrious and temperate, 
and chiefly agriculturists. Their manners are very mild. 
They drink wine, eat all kinds of meat, and marry but one 
woman, Poligamy and Divorces are prohibited; but if the 
woman after nine years of marriage is still barren,the man is 
permitted to marry a second wife. 

The Parses, in Hindostan, have there, with the Hindoo 
costume, also adopted many Hindoo habits. They are 
merchants, brokers, agriculturists and mechanics. But 
worshiping fire, they practice no trade that requires fire; 
hence, they work scarcely anything in metals. They also 
never serve as soldiers; entertaining in respect to war simi¬ 
lar views as our Friends or Quakers. They follow most 
strictly the doctrines of Zoroaster, and preserve everywhere 
the virtues of their ancestors and their morals. Their 
charitable institutions receive the poor of all tribes. The 
honor of women they respect most scrupulously, and their 
manners generally are quite peaceable. 


40 


EGYPTIANS. 


3d—EGYPTIANS. 

CHAPTER I. 

ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OE THE OLD EGYPTIAN RELIGION. 

Somewhat similar as the “Origin and Development of 
the Religious Ideas and Beliefs” of the Agiastias just spoken 
of, was the origin of religion in Egypt, with, perhaps, only 
such modifications, as the diversity between this country 
and the former, and the, consequently also different, char¬ 
acter of its and their inhabitants, must necessarily have 

brought about. 

Egypt was undoubtedly one of the earliest civilized 
countries; had, whatever the primeval influence of foreigners 
may have been on it, a civilization of its own, and its his¬ 
tory is lost in the dim of ages. Upper Egypt was evi¬ 
dently first peopled, as Lower Egypt, or the so-called 
Delta, was for a long time nothing but a morass. It re¬ 
ceived, however, its first civilization by imigrants from 
different countries and at different periods, what, of course, 
could not have been without considerable influence on its 
“Religious Ideas” and the “Development of its Religious 
Belief.” It is pretty certain, however, that Egypt was 
mainly peopled and civilized by imigrants from Ethiopia, 
(a country North of Egypt; but rather an indefinite name, 


EGYPTIANS. 


41 


and variously spoken of as to its limits by the Ancients) and 
this country itself from Babylonia. According to an old 
tradition, but one, confirmed by certain astronomical ob¬ 
servations connected with it, came the older Hermes—the 
Egyptian Thoth—about 3362 B. C., int© Ethiopia, culti¬ 
vated that country, and taught its inhabitants the art of 
writing and the elements of astronomy. At any rate we 
find, that in Egypt, as in Babylonia, the commencement 
of Religion was nothing else but a worship of the Sun, 
Moon and Stars, which they, too, believed to be living 
beings, acting, prompted by their own will, and governing 
by it the earth and all the beings on her. This idea of 
divinity of the Celestial Bodies, caused soon the most 
anxious observation of every change in their motions,and— 
the worship^ of the oldest Egyptian chief divinities :— Osiris 
(the Sun) and Isis (the Moon), The regular annual inun¬ 
dations ©f the Nile—on which depends the fertility of the 
soil and the prosperity of the country—were also soon dis¬ 
covered to have connection (or were at least thought to 
have, because being regularly coincidental) with the 
changes, motions and phenomena of these celestial bodies, 
and thus the Nile, too, became early one of their divinities. 
Next followed Annimals, either on account of their great 
usefulness, as the Apis (an ox), Ibis [a certain, to them 
very useful, bird]; or on account of their great dreadfulness 
as the crocodiles &c. 

At the time of Herodotus, as this generally well informed 
historian tells us, the Egyptians had already a goodly num¬ 
ber of Gods, whom they divided into three classes. The 
first contained three, the second twelve, and the last nine. 
But all these were “Higher Gods;” there were also, be¬ 
sides these, a great number of “Subordinate Gods.” “One 


42 


EGYPTIANS. 


class,” they said, “begot the other;”— i. e. the idea of the 
one, or that begot the one, begot also the other. 

All the Gods of Egypt, however, whether on earth or 
heaven, had reference to Time and Astronomy; their religion 
was, therefore, like that of the Asiatics spoken of in the 
foregoing chapters, in reality but Sabainism;—only some¬ 
what modified from that of the East by the modified condi¬ 
tions of the country. Astronomy [The Zodiacus] was the 
foundation of the one, as it was that of the other; only that 
Egypt in consequence of her different and particular con¬ 
ditions—had added the divinity of the Nile and of certain 
Animals to her Sabainism. 

This is further proof—if any more were wanted—of what 
I stated above [Prim. Men, Chapt. II.] as the cause that 
engendered the “Religious Ideas” of the Primitive Men and 
developed their “Religious Beliefs.” For the Egyptian 
masses, at least, believed in these Celestial Bodies or deified 
Animals and other things not as such bodies or animals, but, 
as “divinities,” worshiped them not as physical bodies,but as 
“gods,” and—mixed thus Feitchism with Sabainism—all as 
we have seen it by the Asiastics spoken of. 


EGYPTIANS. 


43 


CHAPTER II. 

THE RELIGIOUS BELIEF OF THE EGYPTIAN PRIESTS. 

It is beyond dispute settled,^however, that the Priests of 
Egypt did not participate m these low ideas, nor in the 
idolatrous worship of their masses. They were too well 
informed, too good philosophers; had too much and too 
correct knowledge of Nature, and their religion was, there¬ 
fore, as much different from, was as much superior to that 
of the Egyptian masses, as was, as we have seen, the re¬ 
ligion of the Babylonian and other Oriental Priests—and 
for the same reasons—different from and superior to that of 
their masses. 

There are even those who will pretend that the Egyptian 
priests had perfectly correct ideas of Divinity; but that 
their ideas and true knowledge of Deity were kept secret 
by them, confined to priests and their renowned “ Mys¬ 
teries;” were there only taught to priests and their pupils; 
while the masses were kept in ignorance, superstition and 
dependence. But if the Bible speak the truth in regard to 
the history of Moses, this, I think, must be doubted, as I 
will further show when speaking of Moses and his religion 
[See I Period, Jews and Judaism, Chapt. VII.] 


44 


EGYPTIANS. 


CHAPTER III. 

METEMPSYCHOSIS AS IT WAS UNDERSTOOD BY THE OLD EGYP' 
TIANS. 

A peculiar and quite singular trait in the old Egyptian 
religion was, further, their belief in Metempsychosis. They 
distinguished, namely, between soul and body; but be it 
well remembered! not in the sense as we Moderns do.—They 
believed, it is true, also in an immortality of the soul, but not 
in its identical existance, in its reward as punishment, and 
its “everlasting life,” in another—future world. According 
to their belief, the soul was, after death, transformed into 
several other bodies (of animals, and then after a number 
of such transformations and migrations, finally again into 
some other human body). It took a soul, they believed, 
about three thousand years to accomplish its circle of these 
migrations. But this whole doctrine had with them, prob¬ 
ably, more of-an an astronomical than a religious or moral 
character and foundation; was, at any rate, not the Immor¬ 
tality as interpreted and believed in by Jews, Christians or 
any other believers in “Immortality.” But if they had not 
any better proofs for their Metempsychosis than the latter 
for their “Immortality”—they had at least a better concep¬ 
tion of life and the reward and punishments of man’s actions 
in life, as we shall see in 


EGYPTIANS. 


45 


CHAPTER IV. 

CEREMONIES IN THE OLD EGYPTIAN RELIGION. JUDGMENT 
OF THE^DEAD. MUMMIES. 

Remarkable “Religious Ceremonies” in the old Egyptian 
religion were rather numerous, and not a few of them as 
wise, as^tliey were in opposition to those of other religions, 
or in use by other nations; while others again were plainly 
more of a merely local and sanitary character. Of these 
latter class were, for instance, their custom of Circumcision , 
of abstinence from eating any pork and some other meats 
which customs are, no doubt for the same reasons, still in 
practice in Egypt aud portions of the Orient. But as a cer¬ 
emony or’custom of the former class I consider their unique 
and peculiar mode of disposing"of and judging their dead . 
In this latter custom there was certainly something very 
suggestive and instructive; something much wiser than in 
our way of doing and believing it. All the so-called “Re¬ 
vealed Religions” have, namely, as had also most of the Pa¬ 
gan or Heathen religions, a judgment ot the dead. (The 
Old Hindoos had Shiva) [See East Ind. Ch. vi.] the Greek 
Mythology had Minos as such judges] But while all these 
religions had,’[or have, this “Judgment” postponed to anoth¬ 
er World—had, and rendered it, the old Egyptians in this 
World and by themselves. They had also, as is well known, 
their dead neither buried nor burned, but embalmed and pre- 


46 


EGYPTIANS. 


served as Mummies. When then any Egyptian [of any 
rank] died, his corpse was put out, publicly, at some very 
much frequented public street or place, and every passer-by 
was then to state what he knew either to the advantage or 
disadvantage, praise or blame of the dead; and the judges 
standing by, noted carefully down every eulogy as every 
accusation, and when the latter were prevailant or of a 
grave character, the honor of a solemn funeral was refused 
the corpse. This was, no doubt, a much more impressive 
and much more efficacious measure to influence a man’s ac¬ 
tions while yet a live—than the threatened judgment of the 
“Shades,” or the promised reward and punishment of the 
“Soul” in a “Future World” of which no one knows any¬ 
thing and of which there is no evidence. And where, be¬ 
sides, and worst of all, according to these “Revealed Re¬ 
ligions” this “threatened” judgment of even the most wick¬ 
ed, vicious man, or the “blackest soul” may be forestalled 
by prayers, “confessions” [to a priest!] and “repentance” if 
but in the last moment of his leaving this world ! Or his 
crimes may be atoned for, his punishment satisfied by the 
blood of another person—or his Salvation purchased for 
money paid to a priest to “say Mass” for “the poor soul!! J” 
The Mummies [embalmed bodies] were by the old Egyp¬ 
tians regarded with the greatest respect; and when pawned 
[as they often were,] considered as the best of security, be¬ 
cause the surest to be redeemed, as it would have been the 
most infamous act not to redeem them. When a greater 
company of Egyjitians were gathered at any house for the 
purpose of celebrating some public or private feast, some 
happy occurrence, or some joyous event, a Mummy was put 
up in some conspicuous place or corner in the room as a 
a “Memento !” to the feasting. 


EAST INDIANS. 


4* 


4th— EAST INDIANS, OR HINDOSTANS. 
CHAPTER I. 

EARLY CULTURE OF EAST-INDIANS. THEIR SUBLIME IDEAS 
OF DEITY. 

Very different from the West Asiatics and North Africans 
and eminently superior to their “Religious Ideas” and the- 
oganies, we find those of Eastern Asia, of India or Hindos- 
tan. It is really astonishing to see a people which is cer¬ 
tainly one of the oldest, if not the oldest of nations, and in 
so remote antiquity, in possession of such rational, refined, 
sublime ideas of God and Nature, that they surpassed hot 
only the pueril mythologies and theogonies of ancient 
“Heathen” or Pagan nations ; but in many respects and es¬ 
sential points even the most reverenced, so-called “Revealed 
Religions” of our own days—Judaism, Christianity and 
Mohammedanism not excepted. The basis of all three of 
these is even so essentially contained in the former, that 
East-India seems to have been not only the cradle of our 
race, but its religion also the model of succeeding ones, 
which, though claiming pre-eminence, seem to be but—and 
even not alltimes and in all parts happy—copies of it. But 
not less astonishing again than the sublimity of their ideas, 
is the surprising fact that, in connection with these sublime 
ideas, we find also as foolish things in Hindoo-Mythology,as 


48 


EAST INDIANS. 


in that of any other nation of Asia, or of Europe either. 
It is however, uot more than justice to state in regard to 
them, that it is pretty sure that these did not emanate from 
the same men, nor generate from the same sources as the 
former; that they are held to be but the follies of the rab¬ 
ble, who did not understand the wisdom and beauties, nor 
comprehend the value of those sublime ideas; or, also, the 
excresences of time. Herder , the learned German Divine 
and great scholar in Oriental Literatuje, says of Hindoo- 
Mythologyj “The main idea of the Brahmins (as their 
priests are called) of God is so great and beautiful, their 
moral so pure and sublime, and even their follies—as soon 
as light shines through them—so fine and charming, that I 
can not ascribe to their inventors, even when they are pro¬ 
digious and adventurous, all that nousense that, probably, 
but time and the rabble heaped upon them.” 


EAST INDIANS. 


49 


CHAPTER II. 

THE VEDAS [ “HOLY BOOKS” OF THE HINDOOS ] AND TIIEIR 
TEACHINGS. 

The “Holy Books” of the Hindoos which contain the dog¬ 
mas and precepts of their religion—called the Vedas —are 
written in the, also considered “Holy” /Sanskrit Language 
and believed to have peen directly revealed by Brahm,* by 
which name they signify “The Original Being” or “Supreme 
Deity.” They consist of four books, and contain partly 
prayers, hymns and precepts; partly disquisitions on God, 
the world, nature of the soul, <fec., &c. God is, according 
to them, an invisible being, and to be known by abstractions 
only, the creator~of all organic and inorganic beings, bear¬ 
ing the same* impartial unbounded love for all peoples— 
[Hot merely2 for his “Chosen People,” or his “Elect”— 
which] is a higher, purer idea of God than either Bible or 
KoranJ;each—but which is only found in these “Heathen” 
Vedas—books, by many thousands of years older than the 
others!] 

In a Commentary to these Vedas we read: “What is free 
from all lust and desire—that is the Almighty.” He alone 
—none is greater than he.” “Brahm—his spirit is entwin¬ 
ed in himself.” He, the Almighty, is present in every par- 


[*Note.— This name of Brahm , or Parabrahm, must not be confounded with 
that of Brahma—a being inferior to and created by Brahm, and one of the three 
“Divine Beings” forming the Trimurty or Hindoo Trimly .l (See Chapter iv.] 



50 


EAST INDIANS. 


tide of space ; his Omniscence is of self inspiration, and 
his idea comprehends all others. “Thou,” says another 
Commentary, “Thou a God, art the true everblessed, un- 
changable light of all times and all spaces; Thine wisdom 
knows thousands upon thousands of laws, and yet Thou 
actest at all times free and to thine glory.” Thou wast be¬ 
fore any and everything that we reverence. “Thou alone 
art the true Rhagaoian (Blessed,) Thou the essence of all 
laws, the ideal of all wisdom, present to all the world bear- 
est Thou all things. Again; “Sun, Ether, Brahm, Negarana 
Redra—these gods are only as many human ideas and made 
persons.” Where is the “j Revealed Religion ” that can 
boast of purer, more refined or sublime ideas of Deity ?! 


EAST INDIANS. 


51 


CHAPTER III. 

HINDOO MYTHOLOGY MUCH INFERIOR TO HINDOO PHILOSOPHY. 

Less sublime than Hindoo Philosophy, however, is Hin¬ 
doo Mythology. According to this is god not only the 
author of all things, but all things will also return to him 
again. This “Doctrine of Emanation,” as it is called, [and 
which is clearly a deification of Nature], is the second great 
dogma in Hindo religion as taught by the Vedas. “Every¬ 
thing,” they say, “emanated pure and clean from ‘ The 
Great Source,’ was only darkened afterwards by passions, 
and returns again, after manyfold purifications and peni¬ 
tences, to its first and pure source—the Deitv.” “ The 
Eternal,” they further say, “produced out of his own being 
the goddes Bhawana, i. e ., The Great Engenderess— i. e., 
Nature, and a multitude of “Spirits;” among them “Three 
Superior Beings”—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—who oc¬ 
cupy the highest rank in power and perfection.” But from 
the “Inferior Spirits” emanated, after their whole multi¬ 
tude [of 1180 millions!] had lived a long time in har¬ 
mony and blessedness, also the germ of revolt. Proud of 
their own elevated station, and yet jealeus of the preroga¬ 
tives of Brahma, the “Spirits” next to him, namely 
Moisafur and Rebhun, refused the obedience due him- 
They seduced also a great number of the “ Spirits” to 
share in their revolt, and Brahm—The Eternal— after 


52 


EAST INDIANS. 


ineffectual exertions to bring them to obedience and order, 
commanded Shiva [The Destroyer], te hurl them from 
“The Great Hight”—Heaven—down into “The Ordrach 
or “Abiss of Darkness.” There they suffered a long time 
hard punishments. But Brahm, in compliance with the 
intercessions of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and the rest of 
the faithful “Spirits,” gave finally Brahma (The Creator,) 
order to create, together with the goddes Bhavana (his 
wife, Nature), the Corporeal World. The revolted “Spir¬ 
its” were then made to animate the organic bodies, and to 
wander from body to body, from a lower to a higher, bet¬ 
ter one, and thus to become by means of these migrations 
and their sufferings by and during them, more and more pu¬ 
rified, and thus worthier of pardon and their final reception. 
Thus became Metempsychosis a dogma in Hindoo Religion. 
Every animal and every plant—everything—became thus 
animated by a “ Spirit.” As a further consequence of this 
doctrine resulted then the proverbial kindness of the Hin¬ 
doos to animals, and their dread to kill any living creature; 
as also their abstinance from most all kinds of meats. But 
their well-known veneration of white elephants must, prob¬ 
ably, be ascribed to another and later origin, connected 
with the religion of Fo , as I will show at the proper time 
and place [See China, Chapt. VI.] 


EAST INDIANS. 


53 


CHAPTER IV. 

HINDOO TEIMUETY OE TEINITY. 1ST BEAIIMA. 

The idea of a Trinity (similar to, and which served, per¬ 
haps, as original for, the Christian Trinity) originated also 
with these Old Hindoos, and was by them called Trimurty. 
But even this Hindoo Trimurty was much more rational 
and sensible than the (copied from it?) Christian Trinity; 
in as much as it did not make its “ Three Superior Beings” 
(“Persons”) one, nor the one three ; the same, and not the 
same,—but united merely these “Three Divine Beings”— 
which were but the representatives of the creating, pre¬ 
serving and destroying powers of Nature—into one col¬ 
lective idea—Nature—which was by them carried still 
further in giving the goddes Bhawana (Nature) each of 
them as wife. 

This Hindoo Trimurty consisted, then, of the “Three 
Superior Beings” already spoken of, in the Note to 
Chapter II, namely Brahma, The Creator, Vishnu, The 
Preserver, and Shiva, The Destroyer. These “Three Divin¬ 
ities” are also the representatives of the Elements—of 
which the Old Hindoo philosophers distinguished but three: 
—Fire, Earth and Water;—reckoning Air and Water only 
one\ thus showing that these so ancient philosophers were 
already well acquainted with the nature and relations of 

Air and Water. Of these “Three Divinities” Brahma 

H 


54 


EAST INDIANS. 


alone has neither priests nor pagodas [temples], which 
privilege he is said to have lost by his pride. He and 
Vishnu, namely, had the boldness to “try to find out the 
essence of Brahm or Parabrahm.” Brahma mounted, to 
that end, his swan Annon “to soar high beyond all the 
world and visit all the 100,000 (!) heavens.” But when 
coming, after his vain exertions, tired back again, he was 
punished for his temerity by Brahm denying him the priv¬ 
ilege of having neither priests nor pagados. But after 
having repented his misdeed and humbled himself before 
“The Most High,” he obtained his forgiveness and the priv¬ 
ilege that the Brahmines [priests] should institute special 
A easts in his honor [The Poutches]. 


EAST INDIANS. 


55 


CHAPTER V. 

CONTINUATION. 2d VISHNU. 

Vishnu , the second “Divine Being” in the Trimurty 
took as the Preserver (of the world) great care to defend it 
against profligacy and tyrany, and appears, to that end, 
under different characters or Metamorphoses , Some put 
these as high as twenty-one, but whatever their number, it 
is mainly the first nine ones that are of importance. In the 
first of his metamorphoses he is seen as a Sea Monster , part 
Fish and part Man, in order to conquer in the great general 
deluge (which happened in the third period of the world] 
Ganagriva, the cause of all evil, and to save the “Holy 
Books” [Vedas].=According to others again, it was in 
order to save the King Sattiawiradan, the Noah of the Hin¬ 
doos—and his Queen. Vishnu piloted the bark of the 
King, and as soon as the waters were settled, he took care 
of the population of the earth. In the second metamor¬ 
phoses he appeared as a Turtle—in order to raise the earth 
again that was sulking into the Milk sea. So he appears 
successively as a Boar; as half Lyon and half Man; as a 
Dwarf; a Penitent; a Child—combating giants and demons 
who wanted to destroy the world, or plunge it into cor¬ 
ruption and vice. In the eighth metamorphoses he took 
the character as Boodh , a subordinate deity, who also as a 
historical person, as the oldest and wisest Law giver, is 


56 


EAST INDIANS. 


worshiped throughout the greatest part of Asia, [See 
Chapt. VII.] But the most remarkable—and for the stu¬ 
dent [and not mere reader,] of the Bible the most striking 
—is his ninth metamorphosis; in which he appears as 
Krishna , as which character he has not only surprising 
similarity with Christ, but there are also so many striking 
parallels in the life, character, occurrences and circum¬ 
stance, &c., of both—that the best scholars will see in the 
one the prototype and original, and the copy in the other. 

As Krishna , Vishnu was born of a “virgin-sister” ol the 
King Camsa of Madura, who “on hearing that this boy 
was destined to rob him of his throne—gave order td kill 
all the male-children born that night.” Krishna escaped, 
however, was carefully concealed by heardsmen “ who 
brought him up, and when older, he enchanted men and 
beasts by playing the flute most excellently. “Afterwards 
he was great as a teacher of the people and venerated by 
them as “an incarnate God.” The wife of Krishna was 
Lakashiva. As he was the Preserver, so was she The Pro¬ 
tective Mother; the goddes of Fructuousness, of Riches, of 
Beauty and Welfare. She had also the name of “Great 
Engenderess” given, and the cow consecrated to her. 
Lakashiva [Bliawana] followed Krishna [Vishnu] through 
all his metamorphoses; for they both endeavored to pre¬ 
serve the world. 


EAST INDIANS. 


57 


CHAPTER VI. 

CONTINUATION.—3. SHIVA, 

The third Divinity in the Hindoo Trimurty is finally, 
Shiva. He is the manly Revenger and Destroyer, the, 
Transformer, and invincible Conqueror of Death. His was, 
therefore, a double character; beneficial and dreadful; he 
recompensed ; but he also punished. He was also the Judge 
in “Infernal Regions” [See Egypt, Chap, iv.] and had, in 
this capacity, the subordinate god Jama as assistant. 

CHAPTER VII. 

BOODII AND THE “LOWEE DIVINITIES.” THE SECTS. 

In the middle between these “Three Divinities of the 
Trimurty” and the numberless “Subordinate“ or “Lower 
Divinities“ of Hindoo Mythology, stands Boodh [See 8, 
metamorphosis of Vishnu], whom the Hindoos held to be a 
son of Mayo, [Imagination.] This would make him an 
imaginary being, like Hermes or Thoth, the great teacher 
of the Ancients . [See Egypt, Chapt. i.] Boodhism is now, 
however, not any more exclusively Hindoo. Driven by the 
Brahmins, at an early period, from Hindustan, it spread 
itself over all the neighboring countries, became there the 
foundation of the Fo and Lamali religions [See these Chi - 
nese, Chap, vi and ix], and is now under the one form or 
the other, found in Thibet, Tartary , Mongoly, China and 
Japan. Boodh, then, as just stated, forms in the Hindoo 
Mythology the connecting link between the “Higher” and 
“Lower” Divinities (or Dawarlw.ls) ; the number of these 



58 


EAST INDIANS. 


latter is fabulously large. But as they are often mentioned, 
and some of them even considered of such importance as 
to have pagodas built them, they can not well be entirely 
ignored. They are the gods of the Elements and Natural 
Phenomena: of Moral Qualities; of Arts, Sciences, as also 
of special SicJcnesses. In short, there is, in Hindoo Mythol¬ 
ogy, a god for most everything. Then there is also the 
god of Love, Kamadewa, (the Cupid of the Greek,) whom 
the AnarasenJca (a Sanscrict Dictionary) calls “The Soul 
Intoxicator”— “The Voluptuous” — “The Heaven-comen.” 
Another important divinity is, further yet, Gerawadea or 
Pollear. He was a son of Shiva, who, however, refused to 
acknowledge him and rang his head off, but put afterwards, 
when persuaded to revive him again,an elephants head upon 
him as that of the most prudent animal. He is worshiped 
as the god of Fortune, of (good or bad) Success, and is by 
every enterprise envoked, “Hail Garisa!” (also one of his 
names.] His image is found everywhere. 

Having, as wehave seen, “Three Superior Divinities” of 
equal rank, it is rather singular that the Hindoo religion is 
divided into but two sects ; namely into the worshipers of 
Vishnu [Vishnu-baters] aud those of Shiva; [Sliiva-baters.] 
But probably Brahma has no sect of his own because he has 
got no priests nor any pagodas of his own. The alleged 
cause for this is given above [chap, iv] In fact, however, 
may every priest be considered Brahma’s, in as much as 
they all claim to have sprung from Brahma’s head; and 
this may, perhaps, further and more rationally explain this 
seeming contradiction. Each of these “Superior Divinities” 
has also his separate heaven to which go the purified “Souls” 
or “Spirits.” These heavens are, however, very different 
from, and much lower both, in space as well as in value, 
than that of Parabrahm himself. 


EAST INDIANS. 


59 


CHAPTER VIII. 

PRIESTS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE MASSES. 

Now excluding all that is only mythological in them— 
the high culture, almost perfection of the Religion and 
especially the Philosophy of the ancient Hindoos will ever 
be a subject of wonder and astonishment, of admiration and 
interest. It may, therefore, not be out of place to remark 
here, that the Religion, Philosophy and general Culture of 
the present Hindoos have most deplorably degenerated 
from their once so lofty flight, high development and great 
excellence, and that the nation and its civilization are now 
in as low a state of culture, sunken into as deep ignorance 
and benighted by as dark superstitions, as are, in fact, 
most all other nations of Asia. But when we search for the 
reason, investigate the cause of this appalling derogation we 
find, that it is far less attributable to political causes—detri¬ 
mental, too, as these ever may have been—than to the 
corrupting degenerating and degrading influence of—their 
Priests! For the more these themselves degenerated from 
the once so sublime philosophy, astonishing knowledge and 
high culture of the ancient Hindoos, and the more ignorant 
and debased they became; the more arrogant and ambitious 
the more jealous of the heraditary prerogatives, the power 
and honors, right and privileges and veneration claimed by 
their class, they grew. And then again : the more igno 


60 


EAST INDIANS. 


rant, corrupt and debased these priests themselves became, 
the more and the lower they dragged down the people ; 
the more they corrupted and degenerated them, made them 
ignorant and superstitious, and thus—more subjected to and 
dependent on them (the priests) and their will; until the 
unhappy, deluded masses lost all moral strength, higher 
impulses, and gave finally up to think, to will, or to do 
any thing, but what this self-debased, crafty priests dic¬ 
tated and sanctioned, whose very word now became law 
and authority, and by whose blasting influence customs, 
habits and forms became the tyrants of the religious as 
well as of the social life of the unhappy people, the barriers 
to reforms, progress or improvements, and finally every¬ 
thing stale and unalterably fixed for thousands of years !! 

O Priests, Priests ! If there be a day of reckoning and 
of judgment for every one and his every deed—hereafter— 
as you daily preach so threatingly to— others '.;—how will, 
how can you answer for all the evil done, for all the misery 
caused—BY YOU!!! 


Note. —The all-pervading, all-inspiring Spirit of the 19th Century [See iii 
Period, Chaptes xvi, xxi and xxii] seems however to reanimate these long-be¬ 
numbed people and awaken them to new life and energy. The New Reform 
Party (Brahma Samay) if its liberal Apostle Chander Sun, (at present in 
London on a mission to the Liberals in England) speaks the truth (of which there 
is no doubt), a most hopeful “Revival” is going on in India. 



CHINESE. 


61 


5th—CHINESE. 

CHAPTER I. 

GREAT ANTIQUITY OF CHINA AND ITS CULTURE. 

It will scarcely be necessary to speak of the “primitive” 
conditions of China; for we do not know anything about 
them; and the conjectures and deductions we might arrive 
at, could only be the same as reached above when speaking 
of “Primitive Men.” Their religion had, probably, a sim¬ 
ilar “Origin and Development” as that of these latter until 
the establishment of the present ones, or some others pre- 
ceeding them. Besides this, claim the Chiuese an almost 
fabulous antiquity for themselves and their culture. This 
antiquity may be too fabulous, these claim too arrogant to 
be recognized, yet actual Chinese history and irrefutable 
data prove a very high antiquity for China and that its cul¬ 
ture was already marvelously developed hundreds of gen¬ 
erations anterior to the Christain Era; yea, eAen to the 
commonly accepted age of the world 1 

But what is most singular in this nation, is its unparal¬ 
leled stagnation, Such as they are to-day,, their civiliza¬ 
tion, customs, industry, &c., &c., &c., they have been 
for thousands of years. It is only since quite Recently that 
they appear to be reanimated, getting new life, and move. 


62 


CHINESE. 


But in consequence of this stability of customs, etc., and 
unconquerable exclusiveness, China is even to us yet sorily 
imperfectly known. Its present government seems, 
however, inclined to raise the barriers that separated her 
from the “outside barbarians” and to enter into treaties 
with America and Europe. When these will become facts 
and China opened to the outside world—its wonders will 
be found not any less than the benefit to us. 


r 


CHINESE. 


63 


CHAPTER II. 

THE RELIGIONS OF CHINA. 1. RELIGION OF CONFUCIUS.— 
CONFUCIUS AND IIIS LIFE. 

There are now, at the present time, four different reli¬ 
gions in China. The first, and decidedly the best, is the 
religion of the learned and educated classes there, and 
known as 

THE RELIGION OF CONFUCIUS, 

which, in respect to its Moral, compares most favorably 
with the best of religions known. Confucius, its founder, 
is so highly esteemed throughout all China that his de¬ 
scendants are to this very day the only nobility whose 
honors and privileges are heraditary. 

Confucius lived about 500 years B. C., and belonged to 
a noble family in the Kingdom of Lou. Though made an 
orphan when but three years old and brought up by a ten¬ 
derly loving mother, the excellent qualities of his fine mind 
unfolded themselves, nevertheless, early and happily, and 
were developed, almost without any assistance, in a most 
gratifying manner. In retirement ho lived a contemplative 
life, and devoted himself when quite young, to the study 
of the old philosophers, whose fine maxims and noblo deeds 
he made a standard for himself, and strove even to emulate 
them. Ills spotless life, his frugality, moderation and mod¬ 
esty gave an extraordinary effort to his exhortations and to 


64 


CHINESE. 


his instructions in wisdom and virtue, although commenced 
when he was but a youth yet. His fame soon filled the land. 
China was then divided into many Kingdoms,through several 
of which he traveled, preaching his wise maxims. As a con¬ 
sequence, honors and profitable offices of different kinds w T ere 
heaped upon him. Confucius made, however, no other use of 
them than to give a wider diffusion to his precepts, to make 
his countrymen more moral and virtuous, and thus better 
and happier. And yet he was doomed to disappointment! 
His laudable efforts had not the desired effect, and disgust¬ 
ed, he resigned all his offices, and withdrew to his native 
land and retirement. The King of Lou, however, who es¬ 
teemed him most highly, and deeply regretted the loss of 
his valuable services, endeavored earnestly to rescue him 
from this inactivity. He made him his prime minister and 
gave him his full confidence. Confucius introduced now 
a series of such salutary measures and wise institutions that 
this kingdom grew soon into the most flourishing condi¬ 
tion. All classes of its inhabitants greatly improved and 
were happy, and even the court and its desolate courtiers 
were reformed. Thus was this country, by the exertions of 
this single man, by his wise measures and yet better ex¬ 
amples, brought to a never witnessed prosperity. This made 
it soon an object of envy and apprehension for its neigh¬ 
bors, who now thought of means to check its prosperity 
and growing influence. The wisdom of Confucius frustrat¬ 
ed all their schemes for a long while, but the artfulness of 
the King of Tsi finally succeeded. Under the plea of friend¬ 
ship he made the King of Lou a present of some of the 
most beautiful and enticing dancing girls—who soon seduc¬ 
ed the Court, which as soon gained another character. 
Feast followed feast, and all sorts of extravagances became 
now the order of the day. The wise and good laws of Con- 


CHINESE. 


65 


fucius were neglected, industry and economy, established 
by himself vanished, and follies, dissolution and dissipations 
took the place of the order and propriety introduced by 
him. His exertions to prevent the decline and ruin of the 
Kingdom were in vain; his exhortations were not heeded 
anymore; welfare and prosperity disappeared under this 
new order of things faster than even the wisdom of Con¬ 
fucius had given them birth to, and the Kingdom sank 
rapidly into confusion and poverty. 

Once more Confucius resigned all his offices, quitted sadly 
his unhappy, yet deeply deplored native land, sought refuge 
m foreign countries, and to become useful to them by intro* 
ducing there his wise and salutary precepts. Great num¬ 
bers of disciples gathered around him in all these travels; 
for his fame went before him wherever he went to, and even 
men in the highest stations paid him their respect. 
Hut as an object of veneration to the good and pure, so 
was he also an object of fear and hate to the base and cor¬ 
rupted, by whom he was often abused, and even his very 
life menaced and endangered. Yet he bore it all with the 
utmost equananimity. “If Heaven will save me,,” said he 
once avertingly and soothingly to those who wanted to in¬ 
terfere when an incensed Mandarm had actually drawn 
his sword to slay him, “I shall not perish.’ 4 And Heaven 
did save him! (What a pity that “poor Confucius” was but 
a benighted heathen ! ?” What a fine “Saint” he might 
have been, had he but been a Christian'!? 

In short, the whole life of Confucius was a pattern of 
moderation and virtue, and he lived but to preach his wise 
and beneficial doctrines, to accomplish his excellent works, 
and to benefit his country and his fellowmen. He died, 
finally, 73 years old, in loud complaints of the degener¬ 
ation of the world, and—in spite] of all his great services, 


06 


CHINESE. 


and many]; and profitable offices—in great poverty; but 
deplored by hundreds of his devoted disciples,and sincerely 
and deeply deplored by his king. Even temples have been 
built in his honor by his grateful posterity. If his biogra¬ 
phers tell the truth, Confucius was not merely mentally, 
but even physically distinguished from his countrymen. 
He was, they tell us, not only tall of stature and of majes* 
tic mien; but had also—what else is never found among 
Chinamen—large eyes and a long beard. And Nature, it 
is said, had even further marked him by a small purtuber- 
ance on his forehead that shall have given his father occa¬ 
sion to name him. 


CHINESE. 


67 


CHAPTER III. 

CONTINUATION.—THE RELIGION OF CONFUCIUS. 

The Sect which Confucius founded, still exists in all parts 

ot China (and Japan), where, as already stated [Chapter ii] 
it forms the religion of the learned and educated, i. e. the in¬ 
telligent classes, what in itself is a proof of its worth. His 
Dogmas are not all time clear and determined, and his 
Philosophy seems to have been rather more a collection of 
old traditions (which he interspersed with wise lessons,good 
laws and wholesome precepts, and were thus only improved 
by him) than a perfect and independent system of his own- 
Another remarkablo fact in his Writings is, that they con¬ 
tain nothing about God, nor “Immortality” either. His 
Moral, however is most excellent, and as much a testimony 
of the excellence of his own mind, as a proof of his deep re¬ 
search into, and perfect acquaintance with human nature. 
He studdied man as a citizen of this known world—and 
succeeded in learning to understand him, in these relations, 
as thoroughly as any mortal. To the unknown world , it 
seems, he gave no thought; because not only unknown but 
also “unknowable”. His religious precepts, as well as his 
moral teachings, are, therefore, alike of great practical val¬ 
ue, relate almost exclusively to matters of this life only—to 
duties of Man towards Man—and are thus highly valuable 
and practable maxims for all men, in all the different rela¬ 
tions of life. General benevolence, justice, a pious regard 
for the rights of others &c., are, then, the basis of his in¬ 
structions. He, of course, rejects Idols, yet admits Sacri¬ 
fices. Marriages he esteemed of great importance; Agri¬ 
culture he endeavored to promote; but Commerce he 
thought but slightly of 


68 


CHINESE. 


CHAPTER IV. 

PU11THER REMARKS ON CONFUCIUS. 

Confucius was beyond dispute not only .the best China¬ 
man, but, probably, one of the best men that ever lived in 
any country and at any age , aud deserves fully the high 
respect and veneration, almost adoration, bestowed on him 
by his countrymen, who honor his memory even yet in his 
descendants [See Chap, ii.] And that his wisdom, goodness 
and virtue were such as to entitle him not only to the high¬ 
est respect of Chinamen, but of all good men in all countries 
and all ages, is, in fact, verified by Christians themselves. For 
it loas he , it was this very “ Heathen ” Confucius , who 500 
years B. C., pronounced first that great moral maxim, that 
deservedly so much vaunted “ Golden Bid e” which Chris¬ 
tians, but erroneously and wrongfully, since arrogated to 
their ‘-Saviour”:— “Do unto others all that you wish them 
do unto you , chc.” His whole exemplary life was a faith¬ 
ful practice of this his great moral principle. 


CHINESE. 


69 


CHAPTER V. 

THE RELIGION OF LAO KYNN, OR 2l> SECT OF TAO-TSEE. 

The second Sect in China, is that of Lao Kynn also call¬ 
ed Laut See (The Old Boy). He founded a sect under the 
name of Tao-Tsee , or the ‘‘Children of Immortality,” an 
idea, which he, no doubt, brought from Thibet , whence he 
came himself. By means of this idea, and doctrines some¬ 
what Epicurean, he gained many adherents. There is also 
much charlantery and soothsaying and all sorts of super¬ 
stition in this religion. Its priests, as ignorant as zealotic, 
find, therefore, their most followers among the lower classes. 
But as this whole religion is merely a compound of gross 
ignorance and snperstition and barren of all interesting 
traits, it would scarcely be worth our while to go more into 
the details of it, 


J 


70 


CHINESE. 


CHAPTER VI 

CONTINUATION. 3— THE RELIGION OF FO. 

The third Sect is that of Fo or Fohi, and ranks after that 
of Confucius. It is a branch of Brahmanism, and was in¬ 
troduced into China in the first century A. C., in the fol¬ 
lowing singular manner : The Emperor Ming-Ti dreamed 
in the year sixty-five A. C., that Confucius formerly said. 
“It is in the West where you must look for the Saint.” 
This dream appeared to the Emperor so important that ho 
immediately ordered an Ambassy of the most able and ex¬ 
perienced men to journey “to the West” in order to find out 
who that Saint and what his doctrines were. These ambas¬ 
sadors, when arrived in India and having become acquaint 
ed with the Religion of Fo, believed to have found in him 
that Saint they were in search of. They returned joyfully to 
China, bringing thither his religion, and with it all the 
myths and superstitions connected with it in India; among 
them also the doctrine of Metempsychosis. The new reli¬ 
gion, greatly favored, as it was, by tho Court, spread soon 
over all the Provinces of the Empire. 

The believers in that religion have many a wonderful 
tale to tell of the miraculous birth and extraordinary life 
of its founder. According toj^them, Fo was born, 1027 
B. C., in Cashmer , where his father, Fang- Wan, was 
King. Mayo, his mother, dreamed while she was pregnant, 


CHINESE. 


11 


that she had devoured a white elephant (which circum¬ 
stance is the alleged cause that those animals are consider¬ 
ed sacred in India), and that she got with child by a Demon. 
But when she was delivered, neither elephant nor demon 
was seen, but a wonderful human child, that immediately 
after its birth stood straight up, pointed with one hand up, 
heavenward, and with the other down, earthward, and spoke 
witli a plain and loud voice, “There is no one, neither in 
heaven nor on earth, as worthy of worship as I am !” 

When thirteen years old, Fo married three women and 
begot one son; but two years afterwards he left his family 
and with four “other wise and pious men,” withdrew into 
noiseless solitude. JHis original name was Che-kin or Clie-ki, 
but when thirty years old, he was all at once “filled with 
Deity” and then his adherents adored him under the name 
of Fo, He proved his supernatural powers by many extra¬ 
ordinary miracles, and his daily increasing adherents en¬ 
deavored to diffuse his doctrines over the whole Orient, 
When seventy-nine years old and feeling the approach of 
death, he gathered his disciples around him and declared 
that, as yet, he taught them his doctrines only figuratively 
and in metaphors ; but now, as he was about to depart from 
them, he could not abstain from telling them his “Secrets” 
also. “Know, then,” said he, “that there is no other orig¬ 
inal being or principle than “The Vacuum ” and “Nothing 
ness that out of this “Nothing” everything originated ; 
that all things will return into,“Nothing,” and that all our 
hopes will end in “Nothing,” 


CHINESE, 


12 


CHAPTER VII. 

CONTINUATION. THE DOCTRINES OF THE RELIGION OF FO. 

ITS SECTS. 

In consequence of “The Secrets” of Fo , his disciples split 
into two Sects . The one, taking his words verbally , reduc¬ 
ed his doctrines to the following (5) points : First—Hot to 
kill any creature. Second—Hot to acquire (unrighteously) 
other men’s goods. Third—to abstain from all uncleanliness 
and unchastity. Fourth—Hot to lie, and Fifth—Hot to 
drink any wine. 

The adherents to the other sect hold to the “Secrets” of 
Fo (his “Mysteries”) and maintain, that it was not given 
to every one to penetrate and understand their deep truths 
and wisdom. They adhere to the following doctrines: 
The principle of all things is the “ Vacuum ” and the “Noth¬ 
ing” from which sprang the first original pair* and to 
which it returned again. The “ Vacuum ” is that which 
constitute our being and substance. All that exists was 
produced out of “Hotliing” and the mixture of all elements, 
and all must return to it again. All things are only dis¬ 
tinguished from one another in figure andproperties. Men and 
animals are formed out of one and the same stuff \ and when 
they leave their (present) figure and properties {die) —will 
be one stuff again. All things as diversified as they may 
be, form but one great whole, and are different in their 
principle element only. This first element is in constant 
rest without activity- If then, any one wishes to become 
happy and like his “First Element” one must get accustom¬ 
ed to do nothing, will nothing, and care for nothing. 


CHINESE. 


13 


CHAPTER VIII. 

HOW THE PRIESTS (BONZES) CORRUPTED FOe’s PHILOSOPHY. 

The former doctrines of Fo —whioh may now be called 
his religious doctrines since they are now taught by his 
priests (Bonzes) as his religion, are under different modifi¬ 
cations diffused over all Eastern Asia, where, as in China, 
they form the principle religion of the lower, more ignorant 
classes; while the other, his philosophical doctrines, are 
mainly found (like those of Confucius, which are, though 
superior to, mainly based upon them) among the more learned 
and educated classes.—When it is, and with truth too, pre¬ 
tended that these latter are but Atheists (as are, in fact, all 
the educated classes inmost apportions of Asia)—it must, in 
justice, also be granted that their philosophy is, in the whole, 
rather a wise and good one ; at any rate better, and much 
more sensible than the “ Religion (?)” of the former ; that 
it is, though not without its grave errors and momentous 
defects, in very many, and in its main points, acute and cor¬ 
rect ; for what it deserves the more our indulgence, and 
even praise, when we consider the remote antiquity of its 
author(102'7 B. C. !), so that, about 500 years later, Confucius 
could build on and improve upon it.—While, then, the ad¬ 
herents to Fo'S) or to its kindred philosophy of Confucius, 
form the enlightened, better class of Chinese (as also of 
Japanese and other Asiatics), we find the adherents to his 


74 


CHINESE. 


ordinary (or “religious”) doctrines, on the contrary, gross 
Idolaters, awfully ignorant and superstitious, and appal¬ 
lingly debased ; and made so chiefly by the teachings and 
the influence of—their Priests ( Bonzes ) !—The only redeem" 
ing trait in their low “religion” is the great value it puts 
upon deeds of charity, which wo find, therefore, very gen¬ 
erally practiced. But even this, its sole merit, is to be cred¬ 
ited to the philosophy of Fo, and in no wise to the “religion” 
or teachings of these priests. For these ignorant and ava¬ 
ricious Bonzes foster by no means the genuine and truly 
charitable deeds insisted on in Fo’s philosophy, but, priest¬ 
like, twist and abuse these only,’ audable doctrines of their 
religion and teach, that equally meritorious with them, or 
even more so, was to build temples “in honor of Fo,” and 
monasteries for the Bonzes ; but that most meritorious of 
all was—to take good care of these latter ! Again, in order 
to further the better these (to them !) “so important (latter) 
points”—they took hold of the doctrine of Metempsychosis, 
make the most unscrupulous use of it, and teach, that he 
who is negligent of these “important (latter) points,” will, 
after death, be transformed, or transferred into certain ani¬ 
mals ! It is as appalling as it is astonishing to see to what 
an enormous extent this doctrine is, in general, made use of 
by these imposing priests in order to squeeze “Alms” (!) out 
of their poor, deluded dupes, and “Legacies” out of the 
afrighted dying. 

This religion has, further yet, also countless numbers of 
“Subordinate gods,” whose images, however, in case they do 
not answer the prayers of their votaries, are often grossly 
abused. In times of a scarcety, public processions are held 
to their honor, and sacrifices made them. 


CHINESE. 


75 


CHAPTER IX. 

THE LAMAII KELIGION. 

The fourth sect in China is, finally, that of Lamah, which 
is, also among the lower classes, prevalent to a considerable 
extent since the reign of (the present) Mongolic dynasty. It 
originated in Thibet, and is, besides in China, chiefly found 
in Tartary and Mongolia. This is, (and more especially in 
these two latter countries) a very low sort of religion, knows 
no 4 ‘Eternal Being,” but only Idols. These—108 in number- 
are but created beings, who acquired their rank of “Divine 
Beings” by their forty-fold wanderings prior to the present 
world. Its chief idol, 8higamuny, is the sovereign of the 
present in misery sunken age of the world. He appeared 
last about 1000 B. C., as the founder of the Lamah religion, 
which is, in different countries, divided into different sects, 
most all of which are not only full of the grossest, but some 
even of so extremely disgusting superstitions—that it would 
not be any better worth our while than most disagreable to 
my readers to have them more specified. In general it may 
be said that this and the last named religion propogate and 
foster all kinds of superstitions ; but that the government 
assists the priests in nourishing them, for it finds also its own 
reckoning by them, as well as the priests. 


CHINESE. 


70 


CHAPTER X 

GENERAL REMARKS, 


The contemplation of the awful condition of such great 
multitudes of people in one of the finest portions of our globe 
has for the true philanthropist certainly something extremely 
sickening. The ‘‘Missionary labors” of the several “Chris¬ 
tian Missions” that have been established and “laboring” in 
those benighted countries for several centuries are not only 
not bettering, but even yet more darkening and impairing 
their deplorable conditions. * It is therefore more gratify- 


* “it is the old story,” says the daily of its Christianity boasting, New York 
Herald (Sept. 25,1869.) in speaking of the troubles in China (and Japan) “ the per¬ 
nicious influence of, the difficulties raised by, and the pickerings with Christian 
Church Missions,” “It is the old story—Confucius against the Bible, and the an¬ 
cient religions of Sin-Sin and Boodhism, with priests descended from the sun, 
against the apostles of Exeter Hall, and the American Board of Foreign Missions, 
interesting and venturesome ladies, Bramaputra Explorers, writers for Maga¬ 
zines and dabblers in Naval stores. Confucius, it must be remembered, lays down 
some very excellent rules for the guidance of men during this terrestial vale of 
tears and his writings have been and are received as standard authority by the 
Chinese, and to a great extent by Japanese, on all matters concerning both the 
here and hereafter of men from a period which had become hoary in its antiquity 
before the advent of the Christian Dispensation. The educated Asiatics are 
most acute logicians and exceedingly subtle in their mode of reasoning on the 
spiritualities, facts of which Francis Xavier with others of the propagandists of 
Rome, became convinced at a very early date. One of the very first demands 
which the natives make of a foreign missionary is to prove to them the inspi¬ 
ration of the Bible from on high, and having listened, as they will, with good at¬ 
tention in such instances to his reply, they for the most part assnre him, in other 
words, to the effect, that hie is a very nice theory, but not nearly as old and per¬ 
fect in its connecting parts or unities as is that of Confncius, that the system of 
Confucius suits them very well, and that they are convinced the foreigners have 
no regular commission to teach and to preach, not knowing half as much as they 
themselves.” “Having learned a good deal about missionary labor in the East, 
we beg to-day to say to these missionaries to leave China and Japan alone for a time 
and to permit the people of both countries to experience the good effect of the 
grand civilizing agencies of the hour —of steam and telegraph, the . electric wire 
and the railroad, of the steam-plough, the river steamer and the rest. Let the 
churchmen wait and see what the use of '‘'“modern improvements ,” will accomplish.'''' 

So speaks even the New York Herald , that in every one of its editions prides 
itself of its Christianity and the efforts of "Christian Civilization 1” 

(The Italizations in this article are my own.) 




CHINESE. 


77 


ing that the encreasing intercourse of this Great Western 
Nation, also those of Europe, with the Eastern countries— 
though in its nature hut commercial—gives promise of a 
more beneficial effect and a more desirable change. The 
present government of China (as also that of Japan) is, as 
it seems, less prejudiced against foreigners, and animated by 
a desire to bring China more in connection and harmony 
with America and Europe, and to thus improve its own peo¬ 
ple and their conditions. The unheard of fact of making 
our own Minister to that “Flowery Kingdom,” Mr. A. Bur¬ 
lingame, its Ambassador, and sending him with full rank and 
power to Washington and to the European Powers to nego¬ 
tiate treaties, is certainly a most unmistakable proof of it. t 
Let as hope that it will result as auspiciously for both, China 
as well as the Western Nations, as it augures, and that no 
“Missionary zeal” will mar it! 

+ Mr. Burlingame has since died at St. Petersburg, hut his Secretary has been 
made his successor and is still in Europe as Chinese Ambassador in the same ca¬ 
pacity as Mr. Burlingame was. 




78 


JAPANESE. 


6th— JAPANESE. 

CHAPTER 1. 

THE RELIGIOUS SECTS OF JAPAN. 3. CONFUCIUS. 

In Japan we meet three different Religious /Sects . The first 
is there, too, that of Confucius, which is there also, as in 
China, the religion of the educated classes. Being there, 
however, substantially the same as we have seen it in China, 
it would be quite superfluous to specialize it, since we only 
would have to repeat and say over again what was said of 
it in Chapters ii, iv. of “Chinese,” 


JAPANESE. 


79 


CHAPTER II. 

2. THE SIN-SIN OR SINTO RELIGION. 

The Second Sect is that of Sinto, a kind of State religion 
in Japan, The Mikads is the head of it. It acknowledges 
a Supreme Being. Although this “Supreme Being” is wor¬ 
shiped and every oath sworn in its temple, yet it is never 
represented under any image whatever ; only a large metal 
miror ornamented with stripes of white paper—the symbol 
of purity and conscience—is suspended in the middle of the 
temple, and before it the Japanese perform their devotion. 
But this religion has also a great number of inferior gods , 
which, however, are likewise never represented by any image. 

Foimeily, when that country was yet divided under many 
princes, the Mikado was its secular as well as its spiritual 
sovereign ; later the (secular) Emperor (Tycoon) gained 
alone political supremacy, and the management of spiritual 
matters only had been left to the Mikado, as also an almost 
divine reverence. He lives—not visible to the people—in a 
spacious palace at Meaka, which city and province belong to 
him exclusively. He has 12 wifes, and his office is hereditary 
in his family. The adherents to this sect abstain from most 
all kinds of meat. 

So it was for many centuries. But toward the end of 1807 
a formidable revolution, against the Tycoon and its sovereign 
power, broke out, the result of which, though near its end, 
is still not yet fully decided. Some of the princes (Dameos) 


80 


JAPANESE. 


still sustain the Mikado ; others the Tycoon. The former 
were the ones who commenced the revolution, and they, no 
doubt, will gain their end. The Tycoon has since been com¬ 
pelled to resign his sovereign power and to submit to the 
Mikado, who now unites again the sovereign political as 
well as the spiritual power, and is again the sole sov¬ 
ereign of Japan. But although the Tycoon was forced to 
abdicate and to surrender his power and himself to the Mi- 
kado—his adherents have, for all that, not yet given up his 
cause, and the struggle between the two parties is still going 
on. In spite of the advantages gained by their assailants, 
the adherents to the Tycoon’s cause are yet making a vig¬ 
orous defence, and are even, now and then, gaining some 
advantages over their assailants. But though the final re¬ 
sult is thus still undecided, it is scarcely doubtful any more 
as far as the Tycoon and his sovereignty are in question. 
All the indications are in favor of the revolution and that it 
will prove a perfect success. The vital point of this revo¬ 
lution for us and all “foreigners” is its effect on, or the 
policy of the victorious party towards foreigners ; for this 
revolution is at once of a double nature, religious, and also, 
and mainly, political. Its final result is, therefore, of the 
greatest importance to us, as well as to the Japanese them¬ 
selves, and what that will be—we shall have to wait and see. 


JAPANESE. 


81 


CHAPTER III. 

3. BOODHISM. 

The Third Sect in Japan is, finally, that of Boodh. Boodh- 
ism (as allready stated in chapt. VII. East India) is of Hin¬ 
doo origin. Vishnu took in one of his numerous meta¬ 
morphoses also the character of Boodh (See eighth meta- 
morph, of Vishnu, chapter V. E. India), as which he is wor¬ 
shiped by the Boodhists. But having later been driven out 
of India or Hindostan by the Brahmins there, Boodhism took 
refuge into the neighboring countries, and thus found its way 
into Japan. Here, however, it is no pure Boodhism any 
more, but, as in China, a corruption of Boodhism by its 
amalgamation with the Fo and Lamah religions, (see China, 
chapter VI. ff.) This sect nourishes the greatest and gross¬ 
est superstitions, and is, then, but little capable of improving 
the morals or mental conditions of its adherents ; nor its 
political or secular ones either. 


82 


JAPANESE. 


CHAPTER IV. 

GENERAL REMARKS ON JAPAN. 

What was said in regard to China (See chapter X.) finds 
also its application here on Japan. Yet Japan is not more 
so entirely a “Terra incognita” as she has been for us for¬ 
merly ; nor her people any more quite so exclusive and hos¬ 
tile to foreigners as they used to be. Commerce is doing its 
good work with them, as well as with China, and the in¬ 
creased, and of late years still more and faster increasing, 
intercourse of America and the European nations with Ja¬ 
pan, has greatly changed Japanese policy and prejudices 
towards foreigners. The fine ports of these rich and popu¬ 
lous country are opening one after the other to foreign ves¬ 
sels, and our own country has even established regular com¬ 
munications by steam with Japan by a line of steamers. 
And even the Japanese government itself (but that was the 
now abolished one of the Tycoon)—has sent, but a few years 
since, an ambassy to visit this country and Europe iu order 
to get information concerning these countries, their people, 
governments, civilization, &c. &c., and even at this very 
moment Japanese princes are getting their education at Paris 
(France) and at Boston and other cities in America. But 
as all of this was done under the Tycoon’s government, and 
as these Japanese princes are of the Tycoon dynasty—a 
most important question for us becomes therefore, now 
will the revolution spoken of in chapter II., affect the policy 
the new government towards foreigners ? 


GREEKS. 


63 


7th—GREEEKS 

CHAPTER I 

DEVELOPMENT OF THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT GREECE. 

Quite a different “Development” from the religions of Asia, 
we find, took those of Europe, which we are now going to 
consider. 

Prominent among the ancient nations of Europe stood 
Greece. Greece and her religion (Mythology) are a very 
different thing from China and Japan, or even (especially at 
a later peried) India and Hindostan and their religions. 
True, in Greece too, as anywhere else, Religion first ensued 
from observations of Nature and her diverse phenomena, 
and the whole finely developed and nicely systematized 
Greek Mythology is, in fact, no more nor less than Nature 
personified. But Philosophy and Poetry were at the earliest 
time so essentially infused into Grecian Religion that it is al¬ 
most impossible to separate the one from the other ; that we 
cannot treat of their Religion, without also speaking of their 
Philosophy and Poetry, treat of and criticise them too. Yet 
were I to do this even, no more and fuller than I have been 
doing it in the foregoing chapters of the most prominent of 
the Asiatic religions, it would still require much more time 
and space than I can, in so limited a volume, devote to it; 
would even make a considerable volume for itself, many 
times larger than this small book although as interesting 
as large. I can, therefore, speak of them but in generali¬ 
ties ; what, however, will be the more practicable and suffi¬ 
cient as Greek generalities even will be found quite interest¬ 
ing and instructive 


84 


GREEKS. 


CHAPTER II. 

GREEK MYTHOLOGY. 

“The Highest Good” was the aim and ideal of the Greek 
Philosophers, as “The Most Perfect Beauty” that of her 
Poets. Their “Religion,” then, being a compound of both, 
must, ol necessity, also partake of, must be the centre of 
both;—must their “Highest Religious Idea” be the “High¬ 
est Good” as also the “Most Perfect Beauty.” True again, 
Greece also had as every greater association, every larger 
assemblage of men must have, her variously cultivated citi¬ 
zens ; had her Savans, Philosophers and Poets as well as— 
her Priests and less cultivated Masses. But though we find 
in Greece the highest culture ever reached by any nation of 
Antiquity (and in many respects even by Moderns), yet we 
do not find by them such low, ignorant, degraded and 
superstitious “masses” as we have seen them in the East ; 
nor such a-sharp-dividing line between “priests” and “masses.” 
And although Philosophy, Pcetry, Art and Science were, in 
Greece, too, mainly cultivated by the more intelligent and 
better educated classes ; yet they were not so exclusively 
the latter’s monopoly as we have seen them to be that of the 
Asiatic priest’s ; for their light was more evenly and har¬ 
moniously diffused and more generally enjoyed ; there was 
consequently, au almost unobservable grading-off from the 
most refined and educated mind to the least educated and 
most ignorant, and in noways so a strongly—marked dis¬ 
tinction between “Priests” and “People.” They all, the ed¬ 
ucated and uneducated, the philosopher and ignorant, wor¬ 
shiped, in fact, the same Deity—Nature. And though here 
also, as in the East, the one worshiped the “ Idea ” and the 

ot her_the “Symbol”—so that these latter wsre Idolaters ; 

yet it was not the same low, degraded, but—if.I may be al- 


GREEK. 


85 


lowed the expression—a poetical, beautified idolatry—that 
brought men nearer their gods, as it brought these—who 
were but Nature and her phenomena poetically embellished— 
nearer to men. 

But besides these gods representing Nature t her laws, 
forces, <fec., &c., who “throned on Mount Olimpias” under 
the sovereignty of Zeus,” they had also a great number of 
“Demi-gods” who were either men or heroes, (historical or 
mythical persons), or only poetical, imaginary beings. The 
whole Universe, all Nature, was thus filled with their deity or 
deities; and everything, from the brilliant sun and silvery 
moon, the purling brook and shadowy tree in the grove, to 
the silent valey, the rolling sea and dark forest, was thu s 
animated by a god—a Nymph, Sylph, Naiade or one of the 
many Genii. In short, every thing was thus idealized in 
Greece. And while her philosophers speculated on the 
Universe, on Nature, on Man &c., &c., embellished her Poets 
the sublime ideas resulting from these speculations,the grand¬ 
eur of the gods, the deeds of the heroes, the prowess of the 
nation &c. &c., and made all, philosophers, gods, heroes 
and themselves immortal. Philosophers and poets also read 
their excellent productions of their great genius—not se¬ 
cretly in sacerdotal “Mysteries”—but publicly, belore an 
appreciating and grateful nation at its periodical and national 
gems (Olympiades &c.), and received from the public judges, 
under the highest applause of the people, their national re¬ 
wards :—The Olive-wreath, Crown of Oak-leaves &c., &. 
Prizes intrinsically valueless; but made priceless and the 
goal of ambition even for the greatest and best of Greeks, 
by the high value put upon, because of the honor attached 
to them by a grateful nation, that honored itself in thus hon¬ 
oring its great citizens. 


86 


GREEK. 


CHAPTER HI. 

GREEK EDUCATION. THE PRIESTS. 

The education of their youths, too, in the Arts and Sci¬ 
ences thus honored, was also public ; all of which circum¬ 
stances contributed greatly to enlighten—not a class merely, 
but the nation—and to prevent its falling a prey to ignor¬ 
ance, or becoming the victim of sacerdotal ambition, 
priestly schemes and cunning, as the nations of the East* 
True, once more, the Greeks, too, had their priests; but they 
were only priests and nothing more or beyond; that is to 
say, their office was only to tend to the Temples. And 
what is still more and better yet—being neither a class 
themselves, nor their office hereditary—they had—conse¬ 
quently, nothing to expect or to speculate, nothing to care 
and nothing to gain for the class—and had thus, compar¬ 
atively, but little influence, the public affairs, as also the 
education of the youth and thus of the nation, being en¬ 
tirely in secular hands. So, too, were the public morals, 
laws, politics, in short, everything; and a wise and good 
citizen, a great philosopher, orator or statesman, or even, at 
times, a victorious general, had infinitely more influence 
over the nation and the moulding of its character tha\i the 
priests. What a lesson is there contained in these simple 
but never enough considered and heeded facts!! 

There was, then, only one religious institution in Greece, 
through which priests gained, at certain times, a greater in¬ 
fluence on public affairs : The Oracles. And yet, in smaller 
things as well as in great public concerns, the Oracles with 
their priests were, perhaps, much oftener used as tools by 
the secular men and powers, than these became the tools of 
the former. 



GREEK. 


87 


CHAPTER IV. 

THE CHARACTER OF THE GREEK IDOLATRY. 

But if we must after all admit that the religion of Greece 
was, in the main, but Idolatry—we are almost apt to forget, 
to overlook it, on account of its having been so a beautiful, 
poetical religion, and one is almost tempted to wish it might 
be true and that we could still believe in it ! This idea is 
most vividly and exquisitely represented in an extremely 
beautiful poem of Schiller, “The Gods of Greece.” It is 
considered one of his best poems. 


\ 


88 


GREEK. 


CHAPTER V. 

GREEK PHILOSOPHERS AND CHRISTIAN ORTHODOXY. 

If such can be said of the vulgar religion of Greece, what 
shall we say of those sublime philosophical speculations of 
her truly “ inspired ” Philosophers whose religion was also 
embodied in their lofty philosophy and exalted ethics ? ! It 
is—probably out of jealousy—against the principles of any 
“revealed religion” to allow any “Heathen” or “Pagon” to 
be called or considered “ inspired ” ; else the writings of such 
men as Pythagoras, Socrates, Platon, Aristoteles and hosts 
of others of the “immortal Greek Philosophers” would 
certainly have long ago been made into a “Sacred Canon”— 
equal to, if not superior, to that of any “Church.” For no 
book of the Old Testament, nor of the New Testament ei¬ 
ther, is superior in its Moral, Ethics or Wisdom to the wri¬ 
tings of the most prominent of these ancient Greek Philos¬ 
ophers, and no “Saint in the calendar” of any Church has 
lived a better or a more examplary life than the best of them. 
Yet—such is the arrogance and illiberality of these so-called 
“revealed religions” so much boasted of, and such the grace¬ 
lessness of the much-vaunted “charity” (?) of “Evangelical 
Orthodoxy” that these wise and good, these excellent men 
must be considered “lost and damned” (!) if—the “Revela¬ 
tion” (?) of the “Holy Scriptures,” the assurances of “Or¬ 
thodoxy,” or the dictum of its “ holy men ’’—could make 
them so! ! 


GREEK, 


89 


CHAPTER VI. 

STRANGE INCONSISTENCY OF ORTHODOXY. 

These great “Heathen Philosophers” themselves have 
passed away long, long ago ; but their “writings” still re¬ 
main—alas ! but in fragments and imperfect; yet an object 
of admiration, a source of culture, a treasure of instruction 
for all generations succeeding them—even in their fragments 
and imperfections ! Yea—strange inconsistency ! Even 
those very same “ Orthodox,” those very same “ pious ” men 
who, by their own religious prejudices, bigotry, and fanati¬ 
cism, “damn” these great philosophers as “ benighted Hea¬ 
then ” (!)—cultivate their writings and recognize them as a 
most valuable source of discipline and refinement for—their 
own minds, as excellent means for their own “ higher cul¬ 
ture ” ! if— they have any / / / 

And further :—If any one will learn the enormous differ¬ 
ence between the teachings and their practical effects of these 
“benighted Heathen—philosophers” and those of “ Revealed 
Religion”—let him look at and study the Greece of Platon 
and then compare it with the “Hew” or the Christian Greece ! 
(See also the articles “Greek Church” ; II. Per. Christians 
and Christianity, chapter’s xxix—xxxii.—Also ii. Per. Chris¬ 
tians and Christianity, chapters xviii. xxviii.—iii. Per. 
Christians and Christianity, chapter ii. and xvi.) 


I 


90 


ROMANS. 


8th— ROM AN S. 


CHAPTER I. 

ANCIENT ROME. ANTERIOR TO ROMULUS. 

What has just been said of Greece and her religion may, 
in a somewhat limited manner, be also said of Rome and her 
religion. Before the time of Pomulus and the founding of 
the city by him (754, B. C.) but little is known of the many 
tribes that made up the population of Middle Italy.* At 
that period they were but little better than so many wild 
hords, without culture, literature or history. Their religion, 
also,—what ever it was—was yet very rude and simple. 
They had already priests, though, but the warriors were of 
much more accouut, and had also much more influence with 
them than their priests. After Romulus had founded the 
city and formed his warriors, whom he had previously 
brought from their original seat, Alba-Longa , into some 
kind of a people, society or state, he made himself their 
King, and at the same time also their High Priest. The 
introduction of the Augures (a kind ©1 prophet-priest) and 
other sorts of priests, is however, attributed to his successor, 
Numa Pompiilius , who w r as also himself both, King and 
High Priest (Pontifex), as were all the Kings succeeding 
him. 


* Southern Italy, also called “Great Greece,” was much earlier peopled by 
Greeks, or, already considerably cultivated, Asiatic tribes (Troyans); was, conse¬ 
quently, much earlier settled and civilized than Middle and Upper Italy. 




ROMANS. 


91 


CHAPTER II. 

THE OFFICE OF THE PONTIFICATE AND THE OTHER PRIESTS IN 
ANCIENT ROME FROM ROMULUS TO CONSTANTINE. 

After the Monarchy was finally abolished (244 A. R., 510 
B. C.) and the Consulate established, the Pontificate (as 
the office of the High Priests was called) became an appen¬ 
dix to this latter. It was only separated from it again and 
made an independent office by a coup d> etat of the Patricii 
(Nobles) in order to prevent the Plebian (the People’s) can¬ 
didate for the Consulate from participating in the Pontificate, 
too, when they, after a protracted struggle, were finally 
compelled to admit the Plebians to the Consulate also, and 
all the offices connected therewith. But during the whole 
time of the Empire, from Romulus down to Constantine 
(334, A. C.,) the office of the Pontificate was neither 
hereditary nor even/or life, but elective; and during the 
Consulate even for the short term of but a few years. 

In consequence of this costume we find at Rome also, as 
in Greece, no such powerful, influential priesthood as in the 
Oriental countries. But how dangerous for the mental and 
political freedom, the progress and welfare of nations, such 
an influential, hereditary and privileged priesthood, and 
how beneficial, on the contrary, its limitation in time and 
power and its legitimate office is—we have just seen in the 
so widely different religious, social and intelectual develop¬ 
ment of the Oriental nations from that of Greece, and find 
it proved again here, in Rome. 


92 


ROMANS. 


CHAPTER III. 

CHARACTER OF THE RELIGION AND CULTURE OF ANCIENT 
ROME. 

What the original religion of Rome actually was we 
do not know exactly, all we know of it is, that it had been re¬ 
organized and improved by Romulus successor, Numa- 
Pompiilius , and that it then, in course of time, became so 
essentially Grecianized that it was almost entirely Grecian ; 
just as the whole Roman Culture, by the influence of Gre¬ 
cian savans, philosophers and artists on it, became a meie 
copy of that of Greece.—There is, then, no very essential 
difference between the (latter) “ Religious Ideas and Re¬ 
liefs ” of Rome, aud those of Greece, and with the excep¬ 
tion of a very few older Roman Deities , we find at Rome 
most all the gods again that once throned in the Olympian 
Heaven, some of them Greek yet even in name and charac¬ 
ter ; some others, more or less Romanized, or some way 
metamorphosed, in order to suit Roman history and Roman 
character. Hence we find, that the “ Origin and Develop¬ 
ment of Religious Ideas and Beliefs ” of the Romans 
however they may have originally differed from, were af¬ 
terwards about the same as that of Greece , only that they 
were a little inferior to their originals just as Roman 
Philosophy and general Culture were only more 01 less 
happy copies of but never fully equal to, their Grecian 
Originals. 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


93 


9th— JEWS AND JUDAISM, 
CHAPTER I. 

PRELIMINARY REMARKS TO THE EXAMINATION OF JUDAISM 
AND “THE HOLY BIBLE.” 

We are now approaching the end of the First of the three 
Periods into which we divided our main—subject, and it 
remains only to consider yet Judaism, as it originated and 
then developed itself, to the end of our First Period, to close 
this itself with it. 

I have, thus far, tried to trace to their sources the Origin 
of the Religious Ideas and Beliefs” of the most prominent of 
ancient nations, and to follow up their “Development” 
through their different stations ; to find out, how much of 
these “Ideas and Beliefs” is attributable to human nature, 
or Nature in general, and to philosophical speculations, on 
the one hand ; and how much to human ignorance and 
credulity, to priestly cunning and scheming, priestly arro¬ 
gance and imposition, on the other hand ; to show what 
beneficial influence Nature and Philosophy have, or might 
have had on the human race, if—left alone and not inter¬ 
fered with by priests ; and how incalculably baneful priestly 
influence on it was when opposed to the former, when di¬ 
rected by corrupt and selfish men, and instigated by impure 
motives. And thus far, I believe, there will be—with the 
sole exception, perhaps, to some of my conclusions and de¬ 
ductions or casual remarks—but very little, if any, opposi- 


94 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


tion from any quarter to what I have stated respecting the 
^‘Religious Ideas and Beliefs of the Ancient,” from the most 
zealotic, fanatical bigot—who cannot deny the “Facts of 
History,” however he may protest against some of my de¬ 
ductions from them—to the most skeptical Atheists—who 
will aquiesce in the belief of a God, at least as long as he 
shall be natural and rational. They all will, more or less, 
concur in the general estimation of the religions which we 
have, in the foregoing chapters, considered ; they all, from 
one extreme to the other, will allow that it is but fair and 
right that we not only consult History, but also Reason and 
Judgment as to what we shall believe in them as true, or 
what we shall qualify or reject as false; what we shall ac¬ 
knowledge as authenticated facts, or pronounce to be mere 
myths —in them. That we, further, shall take our own rea¬ 
son and judgment as the only Criterion in judging of them — 
their genuinness, truth and moral value, or the spuriousness 
falsety and immorality of their stories, myths, dogmas and 
institutions. 

But all this will he changed now ! For there is a large 
portion of men who will not allow to pursue this only true 
way, to apply this only infallible criterion in reading and 
judgingof the stories, myths, dogmas and creeds we shall 
now have to consider ; who will not allow to read the “Sa¬ 
cred History” of the Old Testament, or of the Hew Testa¬ 
ment either, as we may read that of the Yedas, Zend, 
Avesta &c.,—who are “shocked” when we scrutinize the sto¬ 
ries, myths, dogmas, &c., of the “Holy Bible” and the creeds 
that have been built on them— by that same criterion, that 
same Reason, that they all are willing that we may apply 
and unhesitatingly use in judging of these other books, 
their contents, and the creeds built on them ; Ho 1—In ex- 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 95 

aimining Judaism or Christianity we shall not—they de¬ 
mand—be allowed to use this only reliable critecion ; but 
are told, that we—“must believe!”—believe all the contents 
of their “Holy Books” as a “Plenary Revelation !” are, 
when reading them, bid, to shut our eyes so as not to “see 
things as they actually are ;” are requested to “discard Rea¬ 
son and Science” if they point out to us false-hoods and de¬ 
fects and contradictions in their “Sacred Writings” and— 
“to believe them anyhow !” “For”—they then say—“these 
are no falsehoods or defects, but—‘Mysteries !’—which we 
do not and cannot understand, but which we shall and must 
believe!!!’ 


96 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


CHAPTER II. 

THE MANNER IN WHICH THE BIBLE OUGHT TO BE STUDIED 
AND IN WHICH THE AUTHOR WILL DO IT. 

It will scarcely be necessary to remark that I shall not 
comply with these demands ; that this cannot be my way 
of examining Judaism and its Old Testament, or Christi¬ 
anity and its New Testament; hut that I shall study and 
treat them both as I have been treating those other relig¬ 
ions considered in the fore-going parts and their “ Holy 
Books,” that I shall judge of and treat things just as I find 
them : show their origin, character and relations to other 
things and facts, their truths or errors, moral or immoral 
teachings, beneficial or pernicious tendencies—just as they 
are found in the Bible—and seen therein by an unbiassed 
mind. 

Having now stated and premised all that I thought nec¬ 
essary to define my stand point, and to leave no doubt as 
to my views, and pre-supposing every one familiar enough 
with the “ Holy Bible ” and its contents, I may, I believe, 
well dispense with giving a detailed account of them, or 
of the Jewish religion built on (part of) them, and proceed 
directly to the examination of the Bible itself, and first of 
that part of it called “The Old Testament.” * 

* It can, of course, not be expected that I shall give here a full review and com- 

mcnt of the whole Bible or even the Old Testament, The reason of ihis must 
be obvious to every one—First, even scores of volumes of the size of this would 
scarcely be sufficient for such a work ; and secondly it would, even if I should 
give it in but a limited manner, far surpass the aim I had in view when penning 
“The Origin and Development of R. J. & B.” “The Cosmogony of the Bible 
as commented on further on and the subsequent remarks on the character of the rest 
of the Bible, must, then, and I believe will be, sufficient, being a sample of and 
showing what the Bible must be in the eyes him who is reading it, without any 
prejudice for or against it, yet, also, not as a “Divine Revelation,” but—as it 
ought to be seen and read—in the light that Science and Beason shed vj)on it 



JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


07 


CHAPTER III. 

THE COSMOGONY OF THE BIBLE. 

The first book of the Bible, called 44 The Genesis ” com¬ 
mences with giving us a cosmogony of its own, differing 
not only from most all other ones known, but even in its 
varying two stories of it, as given in its first two chapters. 
Its author (or authors ?) shows not only his gross ignorance 
of things generally, but especially that he was in his knowl¬ 
edge of Astronomy, Natural History and Philosophy, far 
behind the Old Babylonian Astronomers or the Anoient 
Hindoos; although they lived thousand of years before 
him (See Babylonians, Chapt. L, East Indians, Chapt. I.) 
But what is still more singular yet, even the Old Egyptian 
Priests—of whom the pretended author of this queer cos¬ 
mogony is said to have been a pupil, and who, on some 
other occasions, wanted to have even excelled them (See 
Exodus, 8., 11 15,) were much better informed on these 

matters. The most natural, and the most probable conclu¬ 
sion is then, that Moses never wrote this childish cosmogo- 
ny. But be that as it may—who does not know now that 
the Sun is the central body of our 44 Solar System” and 
not the Earth ?! That he is several thousand times larger than 
this latter, and that all the planets and other stars belong¬ 
ing to that system—the earth included—move around him? 
Also, that he, though—not the light himself, is yet the cause 
and source of light and warmth on earth, without which 
there can be neither day, growth, nor animal life or being 
on earth. Yet, according to this ,4 revealed ” cosmogony 


98 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


of tlie Bible, the Earth is not only made Four days older 
than the Sun, but also light, life and vegetation existing on 
it before there was any Snn ! For it is said three times in 
this unique cosmogony, “ And it was evening and it was 
morning ” the First, Second and Third days. Three whole 
days—and all without the Sun, who appeared but on the 
Fourth day ! Even every school-boy knows now, however, 
that such could not possibly have been, and hence, certain¬ 
ly was not the case. And yet in spite of this clear impos¬ 
sibility, in the face of this glaring falsehood, we are told that 
we must nevertheless believe it, because—that “Holy 
Book ” says so! 

There are, indeed, very many grave doubts, and even 
evidences amounting to proof, that Moses never wrote the 
books known as “ The (Five) Books of Moses,” Who 
their real author was, or when they were written—no one 
knows, and will, probably, forever remain a matter of doubt 
and uncertainty. But the most probability is that they 
were either written by Samuel or some one of the pupils of the 
“ Prophet-Schools,” established by him ; or by the priest 
Chilkijahu.—The II Kings, 22, 8—13 and Chronicle 34, 
15 ff make the last the more probable. 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


99 


CHAPTER IV. 

OUTIIODOX DEMANDS IN REGARD TO THE BIBLE GENERALLY. 

But more than that! Those who, all the proofs to the 
contrary notwithstanding, believe, or at least say they be¬ 
lieve, this palpable error to be a truth—claim, on account 
of the belief and the virtue (?) in it! to be wiser, better, more 
righteous and more acceptable to God than those who 
honestly and candidly avow their disbelief in this pueril 
Bible story , and call an error— error^ and a mistake— mis¬ 
take, even when found in the “ Holy Bible.” And because 
they cannot believe these falsehoods to be truths, nor de¬ 
grade themselves to dissimulate belief in what they hold, 
if not know, to be false and erroneous—these “ pious ”(!) 
believers hate and condemn them for saying and disbeliev¬ 
ing thus. However these “pious believers” forget that this 
very same book, this same Old Testament itself, is against 
them, and speaks condcmningly of them, their ignorance 
or hypocrasy, in the words of one of its best, its greatest 
and “ most inspired ” Prophets who threatingly says: 

“ Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that 
“ put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put 
“ bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5, 20). 

Such, then, is the First Chapter of the First book of the 
Bible! And I might go on and show thus up chapter 
for chapter, book for book to the end of it, if the limited 
space of this little volume would allow of it, or if that 
were my special object. And yet there are at the same 


100 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


time that it is fall of errors—just as you may find some 
sound kernels in a bushel of chaff—some fine truths, some 
excellent lessons, sublime moral precepts in the Bible. 
These are, however, not, or not more so—as believers pre¬ 
tend —because they happen to be found in the Biele , but are 
so, because their nature is good; because the essence of 
such a part, truth or lesson is.good. Some of these found 
in the Bible, again, are not strictly biblical, or not new 
and original in it—have been said, taught or known long 
before there was any Bible; as we have seen was the case 
with the contents of the Vedas (See East India, chapter I,) 
books, by many ages older, and in many parts better than 
the Bible’; also with the teachings of Confurius (See 
Chinese, chapter IV.) 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


101 


CHAPTER V. 

ARROGANT CLAIMS OF ORTHODOXY IN REGARD TO THE BIBLE. 

“But”—some of these, “pious believers” will, perhaps, say, 
“there is nevertheless a great difference between these 
(“heathen”) books and the “Holy Bible,” and—herein at 
least, if in nothing else, I must, in one sense, agree with them. 
The contents of the Vedas e. g., are, as we have seen when 
speaking of them, a mixture of the sublimest ideas, and the 
most foolish, fanciful notions, so are the Ze nd-Avesta, the wri¬ 
tings, of id?, and even those of the wise and good Confucius. 
And so again is the Bible. But I forget! It is pretended that 
there was a difference between these “Pagan writings” and the 
Bible,and I just stated that, in one sense,I agree with this pre¬ 
tension. It remains, then, to show that difference, and in 
what sense I find it to consist and be true. 

As regards, namely, those others, also called “Holy Books” 
—by the believers in them—we are not required “ to swal¬ 
low it all—the sublime and ridiculous, the good and moral, 
with the false and immoral, as—of equal truth and value ; 
are not admonished “to believe (it all) or be damned !”— 
but are allowed to examine them ; to select what we may 
admire, to believe and accept what we may find creditable, 
good and laudable. As regards the Bible, however, whose 
contents are no tany less miscellaneous than those of these 
other books, we are told “that we must believe them all— 
must believe their every word 1 inspired ’ or— be damned ! ! 
And yet, in spite of this threat, I do not believe All its con- 


102 


JEWS AND JUDAISM, 


tents true and good ; nor yet do I reject them All as false 
or bad ; but I sift them in a similar manner as I do the con¬ 
tents of those other, or of any books, a.nd most of all those 
of an equal character. But I, evidently, can not do this 
with all the contents of the Bible in so small a volume as 
fully as I would like to, and as the importance of the matter 
would require. For this would make a very considerable 
volume for itself, as there have, in fact, been a great many 
volumes written on this very subject (commentaries.) I 
must, therefore, restrict myself to what I have already said; 
must even refer those who would desire to learn some thing 
more particular about the Jewish Religion —to the Bible , or 
to other books treating of this subject; also, in part, to the 
next (II.) Beoiod (Judaism, chapters I. & VII.) 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


103 


CHAPTER VI. 

JUDAISM AND THE BIBLE. JEWISH DOCTRINES. 1. MONOTHEISM. 

Judaisrn in general is, like its foundation—the Bible itself 
—a compound of good and bad things ; of great truths, and 
as great errors. One of its great distinguishing features, 
one single trait that raises it—at least in this vital point— 
above all existing religions (with the sole exception of Mo¬ 
hammedanism that shares this distinction with it—) is—its 
pure and unmitigated Monotheism. (Deutr. 6. 4.) With 
this single exception of Mohammedanism there is no other 
religion so purely monrtheistic. (The more’s the pity that 
its One and Only God,or its God-Idea, is not a better one !) 
True, we have also seen some Pagan Philosophers monothe¬ 
ists, but—no nation, no religion ; no, not even Christianity, 
although she, too, claims to be monotheistic. She has, how¬ 
ever, similar to Brahmanism—though inferior to that even—> 
[See East-Indias chapter II. Note, and IV.] a Trinity , and 
is, by that, made even less monotheistic than the Old Hindoo- 
religion with its Parabrahm above its Trimurty. When we 
further see Christianity with some of her sects praying to 
Mary as “The Holy Mother of God,” or to the “Saints,” or 
to their “Images ;” or even her better sects with a God 
“The Father? a “Son” “The Lord? and a “Holy Ghost” 
—to whom they ascribe “especial acts of Grace,” and the 
sins against whom they declare “impardonable” —thus clearly 
distinguishing him as a different being from “The Father” 
or “The Son? as also this latter from one another * * * still 


104 


JEWS ANO JUDAISM. 


lay claim to monotheism (!)—it must,at least, be admitted 
to be a much inferior, at any rate, not near so pure, so simple 
and unalloyed a monotheism as that of.the Jewish Jehova 
or the Mohammedan Allah. And whatever else the defects 
of Judaism maybe—andthey are certainly, as we shall find 
in the sequel, neither but few nor unimportant,'- in this vital 
point at least, Judaism is superior to most all other religions. 
But—what anuals this superiorty again—not so in its God- 
Idea , in which it is, as I have shown, much inferior, e. g.,to 
that of the Ancient Hindoo's [See, East Ind., chapters, I. 
IV.] and others. For the idea of the lewish Jehovah is but 
human, as he has all the human faults and passions ; for he 
is represented as being subject to all human passions—and 
some of the worst ones, too—as, being repenting and change¬ 
able, jealous, revengeful, partial &c. And though he is in 
Toe Old Testament called “The Great and Mighty, the God 
of Gods and Lord of Lords” (Deutr. 10, 17.) he is, afterall, 
not so much the “God of the Universe” and of all Nations, 
as the “especial” God Abraham's, Isaac's and Jacob's —or, 
at best, but the national “ God Israel's." 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. JQ5 


CHAPTER VII. 

THE GOD—IDEA OF MOSES AND HIS JUDAISM. 

I remarked above when speaking of the Egyptian 
Priests , (See Egypt, chapt. II), that some writers will pre¬ 
tend that these priests had, pretty correct ideas of Deity; 
but that, if the Bible speak the truth in regard to the his¬ 
tory of Moses, this must be doubted—and that I would 
show the reason for such doubt when speaking of Moses. 
And now I will show it and give this reason. Moses is said 
to have been a pupil of these priests, and initiated into all 
their “Mysteries.” Now, then, if these priests—Moses 
also must have had “ pretty correct ideas of Deity.” But 
if he had, were it not most probable that he would have 
given a better God to his people? Just as they themselves, 
when they tried to “ make themselves a God ” (Exodus, 32 , 
1—5),made him after their Egyptian prototype- —a Calf. 
(Corresponding to the Egyptain deity Apis who was a 
blade bull with certain white marks—) It will, perhaps, be 
objected that this argument is in-admissable for those who 
do not believe in the Bible, nor that Moses was the author 
of the books ascribed to him.—Possibly so ; but it does not 
matter. For Moses, even if we accept the validity of this 
objection, may, for all that, not have been the author of these 
books and yet the author of the Jewish religion, and thus 
also the originator of the Jewish God, or rather of the idea 
of him and his character . 

This character of the Mosaic God and his idea of him re- 


106 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


mained about the same with the Jews all along from Moses 
to the Prophets ; a period of about eight hundred years. It 
was but the zeal of the best and most prominent Prophets, 
in particular Isaiah’s, that improved, or at least endeavored 
to improve, the religious and God-idea, as well as the morals 
of the people. They condemned in the strongest terms the 
merely external “form—religion,” without the true spirit 
and the necessary good works ; Acts of charity, love, jus¬ 
tice, equity, benevolence, &c. (Isaih 1, lOff Tqey,) further, 
promised the people “the blessings of the Lord Peace, 
plenty and prosperity, &c.,—if they would reform, “do good 
and sin not,”—and threatened them with “the anger of God” 
and “the punishment of the Lord :” Defeat, captivity, 
scarcety, ruin, &c., if they would not reform, but “sin fur¬ 
ther on.” (Ibid 1 , 2Iff.) * 

Although the teachings and principles of the “inspired 
Prophets” were much better than those of 'Moses—“God’s 
own servant” himself; yet they were still much inferior to 
the teachings, morals and principles of the much older 
“Heathen” Vedas, or even of their own contemporaries, or 
the, but little younger, Confucius and Greek philosophers 
(Confucius lived but less than two hundred years after Isaiah' 
who was undoubtedly far the best and greatest of all the 
Prophets, and in every respect superior to Elias, even if he 
did not “go to heaven in a fiery wagon, drawn by fiery hor¬ 
ses” (II. Kings. 2, 10), and though he is not made as much 
of by the writers of the New Testament as well as by those 
of the Old Testament. (Mathew’s 7, 1—12 ; Mala 7, 23). 

«n?d t nun*h NOtI ? eheretheterreStialcharacterof the Promised rewards, or threat 




JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


10Y 


CHAPTER VHI. 

IMMORTALITY AND A FUTURE LIFE UNKNOWN IN THE OLD 
TESTAMENT. 

The Old Testament, further, or at least that portion of it 
written prior to the Babylanian Captivity, knows nothing 
about Immortality, nothing about any reward and punish¬ 
ment after this life, in a future world or place. In the entire 
absence of these ideas were in the Old Hebrew Language 
even the very words wanting to express or signify them ! 
“Shomayim” (Heaven) is throughout the whole Old Testa¬ 
ment but—“Sky’. (Bereshith bara Elohim-eth, ‘Ha—Shomay¬ 
im’ &c.,—“In the begining God created the “Heaven” &c.) 
And “Shoel” (Hell), is also everywhere but “The Grave.” 
So said Jacob to his sons on taking from him his darling 
Benjamin, “If a misfortune should befall him on the way 
you will have to go, you would bring my old age with sor¬ 
row ‘into the SheoP ! (Gen. 42, 38. See also 44, 29 ; I. Sam. 
2, 6. &c.) 

When, then, the Jews (during their Babylonian Captivity) 
became acquainted with these (and many other) Chaldaic 
ideas—they had no words in their own language to express 
them ! They, therefore, endeavored to remedy this want by 
expressing them allegorically, and they called “Heaven”— 
not “Shomayim”—but “Gann Eden” (Garden of Eden)—and 
so “Hell” also not “Sheol” but “Gey Hinnom” (“Vale of 
Hinnom”—a name, given to a vale back of Jerusalem 
towards the desert, and distinguished and dreaded on ac¬ 
count of its extreme dreariness and dismalness—). A future 


108 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


reward and punishment was, consequently, even not thought 
of in The Old Testament, and less believed in by the an¬ 
cient Jews. To be progenitor of a large progeny (Gen. 15) or to 
be prosperous in worldly matters (Lev. 20, 3if; Deutr. 6, 
Iff) are all the rewards promised a virtuous life ;—as to be 
denied offspring, to be unsuccessful in any and every enter¬ 
prise, to suffer defeat, scarcity, &c., is all the punishment 
threatened a wicked and vicious life. (Ibid ; See also chap¬ 
ter VII., second sect, and my Note.) 

It is only by the Prophets and writers who lived or wrote 
during or after the Bobylonion Captivity—who, however, 
what mnst be well remembered, are neither ranked as highly 
in Jewish theology, nor held to be equally divinly inspired 
as those prior to that event—[perhaps just because 4 'tainted’ 5 
with these “Heathenish” heresies ?]—that we find the first 
indications of these[Chaldaic] doctrines of “Immortality,” a 
“Future Life,” “Future Rewards and Punishments” and of 
a “Resurrection” &c. ; all of which [as the above quotations 
clearly prove] were no Jewish, but—foreign—“Heathen” 
doctrines, and were—probably as such—combated for a long 
time by the old Jewish rabbis (theologians) ; became, in 
fact, only general Jewish “Articles of Creed” as late as the 
12th century A. C. ;—and even not yet then without a long 
and excited struggle and heated controversy—by having 
been incorporated into “The 13 Cardinal Articles [Jewish 
Creed”] of the celebrated Moses Maimonides, who was born 
1139 at Cordova, Spain. 

It may, perhaps, here be contended that the Pharisees 
believed in all these doctrines. True ;—but they were only 
one out of the three [later] Jewish sects, and the very worst 
and most hypocritical one at that, although the most influ¬ 
ential one [See II. Period, Jews and Judaism, chapter III.]. 


JEWS AND JUDAISM, 


109 


At any rate, these were certainly no general Jewish doc¬ 
trines until the period mentioned. 


CHAPTER IX. 

THE REASON WHY CHRISTIANS-DENYING THE OBLIGATION OF 

THE OLD TESTAMENT COMMANDS-YET CLAIM IT A REVE¬ 

LATION. 

There can scarcely be any doubt among the rational read¬ 
ers of the Bible, but the Old Testament would, at least by 
the Christian World, have long ago been declared (as the 
New as well as the Old Testament has been by men of 
Science and Learning—) much inferior to the better philo¬ 
sophical writings of the “Old Heathen World”—be at best 
ranked with them and renounced as “Revelation”—if it was 
not for that “a little too inconvenient, but not to-be-got-rid-of 
fact”—that this “inconvenient” Old Testament lorms also 
the basis of the New Testament and of Christianity, and 
that thus the validity and value of the New, must, to some 
extend, depend on and be conditioned by the validity and 
value of the Old Testament ; that the one must stand or 
sink with the other. It is,then, but dire necessity that preserved 
the belief in,and the religious recognition and veneration of,the 
Old Testament with Christians. This is most incontestably 
proved by their treatment of the Old Testament People—the 
Jews—lor many and long centuries, during which they made 
them suffer for the disagreable dilemma their Old Testament 


110 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


put the Christians into. For it was by no means, as they 
(Christians) claim, the advancement of “Christian Civiliza¬ 
tion,” but, on the contrary, its counterpart, against which 
Christianity fought and still fights with all its might—the 
growing Liberalism of the 19th century—that put a stop to, 
or brought at least a change and amelioration into, this 
shameful treatment, as it did unto many an outgrowth of 
“Christian Civilization.” (See ii. Period, Jews and Juda¬ 
ism, chapter ix. also Christians c% Christianity, chapters xviii. 
and xxviii. iii. Per., Ibid, chapters ii, and xvii.) 


CHAPTER X. 

3. THE “MESSIANIC IDEA” IN JUDAISM. 

Somewhat similar, again, as with the former ideas and 
doctrines it is with that of the “Messianic Idea,” which, 
although in itself a most reprehensible one, because in¬ 
volving a palpable partiality of God and yet made the cen¬ 
tral idea in Judaism, is, in the Christian sense, also not 

known in the Old Testament. For according to Moses_I 

should think a pretty good authority herein at least—and the 
Prophets prior to the Babylonian Captivity, the “Messiah” 
was but to be a “Prophet,” a “Teacher” or “Guide” of, for and 
from the people. “A Prophet like myself,” are Moses’ own 
words in respect to him, (Deutr. 11, 15-22), which words 
gave origin, form and basis to that doctrine in Judaism 
during that long period from Moses to the Babylonian Cap- 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


Ill 


tivity. Bat from the commencement of, and during the 
troubles following that catastrophe, this idea was by the 
then living Jews associated with their national-political 
sorrows and expectations—and the “Messiah” became then 
and for them “A Great King”—“A Mighty Ruler”—who 
would “deliver Israel” from all its adversaries and humilia¬ 
tions, “sit on the restored, Throne David’s,” honored by, and 
receiving the homage of all nations, (Ezek. 37,15ff.) Yet as 
a “God” or “a; Saviour”—in the sense of the New Testa¬ 
ment and Christianity—he was never known, never promised 
to, and never expected, and therefore also never received or 
or believed in, by the Jews. (See ii, Peoria, Christians and 
Christianity, chapt. iii, xiii—xvi.) 


CHAPTER XI. 

4. THE ATONEMENT-IDEA IN JUDAISM. 

There is yet another Old Jewish doctrine I must speak 
of, and a more wicked, demoralizing one is not to be found 
in any of the so much dispised “Heathen” or “Pagan” reli¬ 
gions ; yet one which, nevertheless, has been seized upon, 
adopted and made still more wicked and demoralizing by 
Christianity. I, of course, am speaking now of the doctrine 
of Atonement. The Jewish idea and form of it was, I am 
sure, bad and immoral enough; yet that has been left far 
in the shade by the monstrous character given it in the 
different Christian creeds! According to the Mosaic doc¬ 
trine, Sacrifices and Prayers in connection with the observance 


112 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


of certain Ceremonies—were perfectly sufficient to atone 
for all, individual a3 well as national, transgressions and 
misdeeds. With these views was instituted “The Great 
Day of Atonement” (Levt. 33, 26-32) and its ceremonial, or 
the “Modus operandi ” of atonement for the yearly entire 
expiation of the whole people’s (individual as well as national] 
sins by means of a—he goat[!]—on whom the High Priest, 
on that day, by some sacredotal hocuspoem, laid the whole 
load of the whole nation’s sins, [rather a heavy load for a 
he-goat, I should judge !] and then sent him into the wilder¬ 
ness “as a scape-goat.” *But two he-goats were required to 
consummate the whole atonement ceremony. The one of 
them “to be made a sin offering to the Lord,” and the other, 
“to be put before the Lord living, and then sent—loaded as 
stated—“to Asasel” into the Desert [Lev. 16, 7-14.] 

Individual sins, also, though in general included in this 
wholesale atonement already stated, could yet, at anytime, 
be especially atoned for by the special sacrifices prescribed 
for the case. In a few instances only a restitution of 
the wrongfully gotten property or its equivalent [but then 
one-fifth its normal value added to it], was required,besides the 


* Jt may, perhaps not be out of place to show here the striking unreliability of 
Translations^ of the Bible. The term ‘Ms a scape-goat ,” namely, used in the 
translations of the Bible ; is, as I will presently show, wrong every way. 
Hebrew word for it in the Bible is “La-Asasel," composed of the (Hebrew) 
R r L fl ^^TT COrre ??° ndl ^ wlth , the English preposition “to" and the proper name 
Asasel. Hence it must be rendered “to Asasel." and not L as a scape goat." But 
now the question here arising is “ Who or what is Asasel f ” If the‘‘Atonement” 
with its ceremonial were of a later date, I might, perhaps, say that “Asasel" was 
H amG °* som q demon, who, *as the later Jews seem to have believed, inhabited 
f^rearyand solitary places in the Desert (Matt. 12, 43, a. m. o.) with which idea 
it would then be quite in harmony. Bnt such an explanation is forbidden bv the 
well-established fact that the Old Testament does not know anything of demons 
and that the Jems received the idea of them and other similar notious many 
hundred years later from the Chaldeans. (See ii, Per vi, Jew and aJudaism, chapt 1 ) 
J* e^lanation is thus idadmissable, then, I think, that of the Talmud may be 
correct, saying that Asasel' was the name of a rock in the Desert to which this 

anFthuTkifled ’ wl/h'Th- considerable height of which he was to be hurled, 
and thus killed. With this explanaaion are, then, also in perfect harmony the 

man W/U> ^ ht hhn there 011 return (Levit. 1 1 
i?’ 8X6 about the same as those prescribed for every one individual 

H 24-?28) beC ° me Unclean " by havin " c <> m c into contact with el? carcat (Ibid, 




JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


113 


ever-irremissable sacrifice [Levitic. 5, 20-25.] Moses under¬ 
stood it well to be easy with sinners—when it suited him— 
as also to take well care of his pets, the priests, whom 
he selected not only from his own tribe, but the High-priests 
from his own family, and to whom a very considerable por¬ 
tion of the countless sacrifices ol the “Congregation” as well 
as of individuals was given, besides the tenth of every thing 
else. This arrangement became, however, especially at the 
later period of the nationt’s existence, in time of the flour¬ 
ishing of Pharisaism, a prolific source of corruption of these 
very priests, and most especially of the Iligh-priests, and an 
almost unbearable burden to the nation. 

And yet Christianity [as already indicated] has not only 
adopted, but even enlarged upon this abominable atonement 
idea of Moses, by sacrificing not only to its God, but even— 
it s God himself! / What a monstrous idea this “ sacrifice 
of God ” is ! If men were not trained and, from their ear¬ 
liest infancy, educated up to, and thus made];familiar with, 
this horrible idea—how they would recoil from and scorn it! 

According to this Christian idea of atonement, then, a 
man may enjoy the benefit of atonement without any action 
or merit of his own, and merely bj—proxy ! —by the sacri 
fice or merit of— another person ! ! And priests may, be¬ 
sides, be the depositories and dispensers of it—may have the 
power to dispense or to withhold it—“absolve,” or withhold 
“absolution” from any sinner, until—-he conforms with their 
conditions ! ! ! Even the very worst of sinners may thus 
“at the eleventh hour,”—perhaps, ere the executioner “sends 
him into Eternity” and “to the presence of his Fined Judge” 
—“be justified,” “absolved,” “redeemed through the blood 
of Christ” and go straight way’s to—“ Heaven and his 
reward” ! ! Nothing like such a preposterous, demoralizing 


114 - jews and Judaism. 


doctrine can be found in “the detestable creeds” of “the poor, 
benighted Heathen !” 


CHAPTER XII. 

JEWISH CEREMONIALS. 1ST. THE SABBATH. 

A few words more about the Jewish Ceremonials with 
which I will close this I. Period. 

The Jewish Ceremonials were extremely numerous, so that 
I can speak only of, and comment on, the most important 
ones.—The first in order, as in importance, is “The Holiness 
of the Sabbath,” which, by the way, is, however, not the 
first, but the seventh day of the week ;—not only according 
to The Old Testament, but to The Hew Testament as w^ell— 
and which was considered by the Jews as of the highest 
importance; for 

“It is a sign between me and you throughout your generations , that you may 
know that I am the Lord that sanctifies you ; 

says the Bible [Exod. 31, 13.]. And even Isaiah, much as 
he was opposed to mere lip-devation, and to making too 
much of the mere observance of ceremonies, held fast to “the- 
sanctity of the Sabbath” and its strict observance. And 
while he condemns the former, and insists on the perfor¬ 
mance of actual works—the practice of Justice, deeds of 
charity &e., &c., he couples with them the observance of 
the Sabbath as of equal necessity and value. [Isaiah 56, 2.J 
—According to the Decalogue, it was instituted “in memory 
of the creation of the world in six days, and the rest that 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


115 


God himself took on the seventh day and declared that day 
holy.” [Exod. 20, 8, 15]. Of the value of the Mosaic cos- 
mogony, upon which this “Holiness of the Sabbath” is built, 
I have spoken and commented on before. [See chapter iii.] 
1 et Jews, and what is still more marvelous, even Chrigtians 
[See chapter ix—Reasons why Christians hold to the Old 
Testament] accept it as true, and as sufficient reason for still 
“keeping the Sabbath day holy.” Christ himself also con¬ 
formed to it, or, at least, acknowledged it ; for “He came 
not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil it” [Math. 5, 17.] So 
did also the Apostles, and so did The Primitive Church. 
How, then, Christians of the present can still claim to be 
“Followers of Christ”—can pretend to acknowledge the 
same Bible with the same Decalogue as “Divine Revelation,” 
and yet observe, and claim the same “Holiness” for, the first 
day, that God himself the Bible, Christ, his Apostles and 
the “Early Church” accord only and exclusively to the 
seventh day—would be as much a “mystery,” as it involves 
a palpable contradiction,—if it were not that Church-History 
gave us some light on this “mystery.” By it we learn, that 
the Jews, in consequence of their repeated revolts against 
their then masters—the Romans—suffeied many and severe 
persecutions by which Christians—whom the Romans con¬ 
sidered also Jews, or a Jewish sect—had much to suffer. 
How, then, in order to proveto the Romans that they were 
no Jews, and to thereby escape their persecutions—they 
changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day, which 
was the Roman Sun-day the day [by them] dedicated to the 
Sun /—(They took probably the maxim of their “Great 
Ajiostle” as pattern.)—[See 1st Corinth. 9, 20, 22.] 

Yet this Sunday—Sabbath was, for several centuries yet 
not generally observed by Christians, and was it only after 


116 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


the most influential bishops of his time—Athanasius asser¬ 
ted, and caused the Council of Nice [1325] to declare, That 
the Lord had changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the 
first day and even then not yet until the State ! (which 
then, under Constantin, became united with the Church) 
enacted by a State Law the celebration of Sunday ! As an 
additional reason for celebrating the first in place of the 
seventh day was then, by this same “holy” Athanasius, fur¬ 
ther adduced, that “This [Sunday] was the Lords-day”—the 
day on which he had arisen from death/’ But whatever 
any one may hold of this alleged “Lord’s day” [See ii. Per. 
Christians and Christianity, chapter xvi.], it is obviously not 
the Sabbath of the Bible, of Christ, his Apostles or of “The 
Primitive Church hence cannot claim the same “Holiness” 
with it, and it is, therefore, but sheer fanaticism when the 
“Puritans” of Cromwell, or the “Pilgrims” of the “Mayflour” 
claimed, or when their descendants still claim “the same 
holiness,” and the same authority for the observance of their 
Sunday—Sabbath ;—in the more fanaticism and contempti¬ 
ble hypocricy when the “Puritans” and Orthodox Calvinists’ 
of our own, better enlightened days and with all these facts 
before them still claim the same “holiness” and the same 
observance for the first day, that the Bible &c., accords but 
to the seventh day ; and it is worse and more than mere 
fanaticism when they make this unfounded claim not only 
for themselves, but endeavor even to enforce it and their ob¬ 
servance of their “Sabbath” (?) on every body else ; when 
they enact bigoted and oppressive “Sunday Laws” ; strive 
to prohibit Sunday-travel, Sunday-Mails, the running of R. 
R. cars on Sunday in the whole country, and impudently 
shut uy Public Libraries even, bought with the People’s 
money—on Sunday ! 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


117 


CHAPTER XIII. 

2-CIRCUMSCISSION AND OTHER CEREMONIALS. 

Another Jewish Ceremony is Circumscission, which was 
also, as we have seen [Egyptians, chapt. iv,] an Egyptian 
custom; perhaps it was nearly a sanitary measure with 
them, as well as with the Jews; or, at least, made advis¬ 
able by the character of the climates of their respective 
countries, for which reason, probable, we find it still in 
practice in the Orient as well as in Egypt. The action of 
the Apostles [Acts 15] seems to contradict this supposition; 
but this act of Apostles and of the Council of Jerusalem 
is itself in strong contradiction with the teachings and prac¬ 
tices and assurance of Christ himself. [See Acts 15 and 
Mathew v, 12.] And even Paul himself—while he insisted 
at Antioch and Jerusalem on the abolition of this custom, 
practised it himself, shortly after, at Lystra [Acts 16, 3]— 
“because of the Jews in those quarters. 5 ’ But this is in 
keeping with the general character of this “ Great Apostle.” 
[See I. Corinth. 9, 20 ee.] 

There are further yet “The Holy Feasts,” [Lev. 23.] 
“The Sacrifices” and a great many others for the most 
various occasions, but too numerous or unimportant to be 
all enumerated here. 

Marriage had with the ancient Jews a rather Oriental 
character and was generally Poligamy, which is allowed in 
the Old Testament and not prohibited in the Hew Testa¬ 
ment. There is even one case in which Poligamy was not 
allowed, but made obligatory . [Deutr. 25, 5-l'0.] Christ 
himself said nothing against-it, and the Mormons have the 
authority of the Bible in favor of their “ peculiar institu¬ 
tion.” Paul gives rather a singular, though neither a wise 


118 


JEWS AND JUDAISM, 


nor a good advise in regard to marriage generally. [I. Cor¬ 
inthian, Y.] 

Better than in respect to marriage, are the Laws in respect 
to the “ Forbidden Grades ” <fcc., of the Jews, which are 
mostly very wise, good and moral, as are also the laws in 
that respect regarding women, as well as men. 


Jjsws and Judaism. 


110 


SECOND PERIOD. 

From the Commencement of the Christian Era to the 
Reformation of Luther. 

i. JEWS AND JUDAISM. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE POLITICAL LIFE OF THE JEWS. 

Theie has been but little said in the foregoing period of 
the Political Life of the Jews; for, in the first place, I con¬ 
sider it rather foreign to our subject; and in the next place, 
what there might have been said of it without deviating too 
far from the main point, might have been presumed gener¬ 
ally well known, because forming a part of the Bible itself 
But this will be different now. We have now reached a 
period in the history of that nation when both these impor¬ 
tant exponents in a nation’s life —its religion and its politics 
are so blended in the events now to be related, that it is 
actually impossible to speak intelligibly for to understand 
the one, without also speaking of and comprehending the 
other. We shall, then, in this II. Period, be obliged to 
unite, more or less, the religious and the political develop¬ 
ment ©f the Jews; to consider them both ; and, in order to 
do it more coherently, properly and understandingly, to go 
back some to events which really belonged to the foregoing 
(I.) Period. 

The most eventful occurrence in the history of the Jews 
of that time, the consequences of which were felt equally 
strong in the political as well as in the religious life of that 
people, and, in fact, in its whole after-life, was the Baby- 




120 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


Ionian Captivity, [588 B. C.] Jerusalem and its Temple, the 
two arteries of the heart of Israel, were destroyed, and the 
best part of the nation, including its royal family, ecclesias¬ 
tics, Prophets and firemost men in all its tribes, carried 
away captives into Babylonia, or Chaldea, as that country 
was then generally, as well as in the Bible, called. There 
these captives established new homes to which they soon 
became so mnch attached that but forty-two thousand fami¬ 
lies returned to “ the land of their fathers ” when Cyrus, the 
conqueror of Babylonia, gave them permission to do so [536 
B. C.,] while the rest, which formed mueh the larger por¬ 
tion, remained. The entercourse of these latter, as also that 
ot the latter ones during their sojourn in Chaldea, with the 
original [Pagan] inhabitants of that country, had a mighty 
influence on their old religious ideas. Although they still 
held fast, in fact, stronger than before their captivity, to 
their Menotheism and Traditions, [see these, Chapter VII,] 
they had also become acquainted with and adopted a great 
many Chaldaer, mythological and other ideas, unknown to 
their fathers, and foreign to their religion. The most im¬ 
portant ones of these were, the doctrines of Immortality, 
[see I. Per. Jews and Jud., chapt. VIII,] of Spirits, Angels, 
Devils and Demons, &c., and of these latter’s Supernatural 
Powers and Influences, over, and “ possession ” of men, 
all of which were the old Jewish religion, as taught by 
Moses and the Prophets, did not know anything. The 
Jews had, before their captivity, no more an idea of a 
“ Devil ” than of “ Immortality; ” of a “ Spirit ” no more 
than of a “ Future Life.” [See I. Per. J. and Jud. chapter 
VIII.] For where ever the word “Satan” occurs in the 
Old Testament, with exception of the not Jewish book of 
Job, it has a very different sense and meaning from the 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


121 


Chaldean and Kew Testament “ Devil,” generally that of a 
physical hindrance or obstruction. [See numbers 22, 23, 
where the words “ As an Adversary ” in the English, are in 
the Hebrew Bibles “Lesatan low,” to “satan” i. e. “to ob¬ 
struct, “ to hinder ” him; as this is still more clear in vers 
32, where the angel says toBileam : “Lo! I went out to‘be- 
saton’ 4 to hinder’ (thee) because thy way is perverse 
before me.”) And so in all the few passages where this 
word “Satan,” be it as a noun or as a verb, as in the above 
passages, with the prefixes and affixes proper to the Hebrew 
language, occurs previous to the Babylonian Captivity. It 
is only in the bTew Testament that we meet the real Clial- 
daic “Spirits,” “Devils,” “Demons,” &c., &c.; but the 
Jews, prior to their captivity, I repeat once more, had not 
even the idea of a “ Spirit,” nor, and consequently, of “ Im¬ 
mortality.” With them, all was terrestial, material—physical 
only. Even Cherubims and Angels of the genuine Jewish 
idea were anything but “ Spirits ; ” the former were only a 
fancied kind of animals ; the latter only a kind of superior, 
exalted men , with, though different, phisical bodies. (See 
Gen. 3. 24; 18, 1-8; 32, 25ff; Exod. 25, 17-19; Judg. 2, 
13; Ezk. 1, Iff.) But, aside from these and other Chaldaic 
notions with which they became acquainted, and their reli¬ 
gion modified by them, as we shall see in the sequel, the 
religious ideas of the ancient Jews were uniformly but those 
of the Old Testament; nothing short of and nothing be¬ 
yond it. 


122 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


CHAPTER II. 

RELIGIOUS SECTS OF ANCIENT JEWS. 

It was, no doubt, owing to this uniformity of belief and 
doctrines that we do not find any Sects, or religious divi¬ 
sions,among the Jews prior to the Babylonian Captivity, with 
the sole exception of that of the Samaritans ; which, how¬ 
ever, as is well known, was more of a political than a reli¬ 
gious division, as political and not religious differences or¬ 
iginated it. But at the time we have now reached in the 
Jewish history (the end of the former [I.] and begining of 
this [II.] Period ) we find a great change in this respect. 
Hot only were now a great many Chaldaic, un-Jewish ideas 
mixed up with their original religion and belief, but also con¬ 
siderable Greek philosophems infused into them ; both 
strongly undermining the old ideas and uniformity of belief. 

For Greek Philosophy, too, spread very rapidly in Syria 
and Egypt—countries, in which Jews then chiefly lived— 
after the time of Alexander the Great, so that the Jewish 
religion of those days was much affected by it. The conse¬ 
quences of these influences, and the changes they wrought 
in the fundamental doctrines of the old religion , manifested 
themselves in the political as well as in the religious divisions 
(Sects) of the nation ; and especially of their priests and 
rabbis. And while we, at the earlier days, saw the Jewish 
religion uniformly understood and believed in by all the 
Jews and their rabbis (mainly on the basis of the Old Test¬ 
ament, especially the Pentateuch—“The Law” of Moses), 
we find them now divided into several Sects on ground of 
doctrinal differences, and disagreements as to religious 
tenets. It is, then, time to give our attention to these Sects. 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


123 


/ 

CHAPTER III. 

]. THE SECT OE THE PHARISEES. 

1 he first, most important, because most numerous and thus 
most influential Sect, was that of the Pharisees. They be¬ 
lieved not merely in “The Law” (of Moses) and “The 
Prophets” and in all their writings, but besides these also 
in The Traditions”—as of “equal value and revelation” 
with the former. These “Traditions” were sayings, explan¬ 
ations or disputations of great rabbis on “The Law” as well 
as on these “Traditions” themselves, which, in course of 
time, obtained as high, or even a higher, estimation with 
them than even “The Law” itself. This was chiefly brought 
about by the influence and the reputation of these Phari¬ 
sees, the originators and stanch champions of these “Tradi¬ 
tions.” Again, they pretended to see or to find a hidden 
importance, momentous significations, mysterious meaning, 
secret, and even “sacred,” implication in most every sentence, 
word, letter, or even mere sign of interpunction in “The 
Law ;”—from which they again wanted to deduce many new 
religious rites, ceremonies, formnlas, observances &c. } in the 
minutest observance of which they put the greatest value, 
and which they esteem prominently as, and called “piety.” 
When then “The Law” and “The Prophets” would not bear 
them out in their nice and subtile deductions,—they had 
(most conveniently) recourse again to—“Tradition”—main¬ 
taining, that these, also, were the teachings of Moses, given 
him on Sinai orally, but simultaneously with “The Law,” 
and having come down to them, from generation to gener- 


124 


JEWS AND JUDAISM 


ation, by “oral tradition.” To these “Authentic Tradition” 
they added, in course of time, also many of their Chaldaic 
ideas, notions, mysteries &c., such as, that of Immortality, 
Angels (the principles ones they wanted even to know by 
name—)of Spirits, Devils, Demons, Genii &c., (with whom 
they pretended to similar familiarty)—.They wanted, then, 
further—as a natural consequence of this belief and famil¬ 
iarty—to understand the dreaded science of “Exorcism”— 
or the dark art of “driving out” these superstitiously believed 
Devils, Demons, “Unclean Spirits” &c., of men, animals or 
even inanimate objects, which, as they pretended and be¬ 
lieved, could be done by certain “sacred” words or names, 
or mysterious, but powerful formulas &c., with all of which 
they claimed the most perfect familiarity. 

The whole of this “mysterious knowledge” or “science” 
of the Supernatural they called “Cabalah.” (More of it see 
chapter vii.) Imposition and superstition as the whole of it 
evidently was, it, nevertheless, answered their purposes ex¬ 
cellently ;—for it gave them an immense weight and estima¬ 
tion in the eyes of the ignorant, credulous and deluded 
masses who, deceived by the consumate hypocrisy and 
sanctimoniousness of these “pious” and hyper-pious scoun¬ 
drels, reverenced them in the utmost degree. This high es¬ 
timation in which they were held by the people, made this 
sect again not only religiously, but also politically, the most 
important one, and its influence was felt in all things and 
all places. Yet profoundly learned as many of them undis- 
putably were—in their way—and “pious” and examplary 
as they appeared before and to the people : their corruption 
was still greater. Bribery, avarice, pride, an unsatiable am¬ 
bition and measurless arrogance ; in short, all sorts of vices, 


JEWS AND JUDAISM, 


125 


were the main characteristics of this most hypocritical sect 
According to the Evangelists, their master— Jesus —knew 
them quite thoroughly ; nor did he hesitate any to chastise 
them often and sharply. But he had also to pay with his 
life for itjust as many a good and bold man who dared 
censure and “show up” the “Christian Pharisees” of later 
days—had a similar fate. 


CHAPTER IY. 

2. THE SECT OF THE SADDUCEES. 

The second Sect was that of the Sadducees. They were 
in every thing but their vices the opponents of the Phari¬ 
sees ; although, perhaps not quite as bad as these. They 
believed, with exception of “ The Law of Mose* ” and “ The 
Prophets,” in scarcely any of the doctrines of the Pharisees. 
They rejected their doctrine in regard to the “ Traditions ” 
and the subtile rites and ceremonies deduced therefrom; 
denied a Providence, Immortality, Angels and Resurrection, 
&c., &c. This sect, too, was quite numerous and had also 
very considerable influence, so that they were by no means 
to be disregarded, but often even successful, victorious 
rivals of the Pharisees, whose political as well as religious 
opponents they were. 


JJ*WS AMD JUDAISM. 


m 


CHAPTER V. 

3, THE SECT OP THE ESSENES. 

Hie third and best sect, finally, also the weakest and 
least influential, was that of the Essenes. They believed in 
somethings with the Pharisees, which the Sadducees denied ; 
while in others they believed as the Sedducees did; and in 
others again they believed with neither of the former,‘but 
had their own peculiar tenets. So they believed with*the 
Sadducees in the “Written Law ” only, and rejected the 
“ Traditions” of the Pharisees. And though they believed, 
as these latter, in a “ Providence, ” Immortality and Resur¬ 
rection, yet they believed not in all the doctrines connected 
with or resulting from them; and less yet did they partake 
in the vices of the Pharisees. They did also not, like these, 
strive for riches, or aspire to power; did not, therefore! 
share in their wranglings for political mastery, but lived a 
quiet, frugal, secluded, contemplative and virtuous life. 
They, or at least these latter, did not marry, and those who 
became Essenes after their marriage, did not live on in that 
state, but retired into solitude; generally into the Desert. 
They endeavored (like the Shakers of our days) to bring up 
the children of others to their peculiar tenets. They were 
very charitable, divided their all with each other, and are 
believed to have had a kind of Communism. Greek Philo¬ 
sophy, then very generally studied by the rabbis, and 
applied to their way of expounding “ The Law' ” and Tra¬ 
ditions, found quite a good many adopts in all three of these 
sects. 

It is generally believed that John the Baptist, Jesus and 
at least some of his Apostles, were Essenes. Most signifi¬ 
cant and just as characteristic of the Pharisees of our own 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


12? 


days, the “ pious Orthodox;' is it, that the Pharisees, al¬ 
though much the worst, most hypocritical and corrupted of 
these three Jewish sects of their time, were also the most 
selfnghtous and intolerant, declared themselves “the only 
heirs of Heaven,” and Sadduoees and Essenes excluded from 
any share or enjoyment in its felicities or “lost” and 
damned” as our Pharisees phrase it now. 


CHAPTER VI. 

THE RIVALRIES BETWEEN THE PHARISEES AND SADDUOEES- 
AND THEIR EFFECTS. 

The continuous rivalries between the Pharisees and Sad- 
ducees brought about numerous disturbances and “seditions,” 
as Josephus calls them, which, finally, gave the Romans the 
long-coveted opportunity to meddle with the internal affairs 
of the nation ; what, with them, was tantamount to becom¬ 
ing the masters of the country. Repeated revolts and 
strenous efforts to eject them again were now made, but had 
no other results than the desolation of the country, the de¬ 
struction of Jerusalem and its superb Temple, and the final 
ruin and dispersion of the nation. (70, A. C.) 


128 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


CHAPTER VII. 

THE SO-CALLED RABBINICAL WRITINGS. 

It must be self-evident that such vital changes as took 
place, as stated in the foregoing chapters, from the Babylo¬ 
nian Captivity to the time we have now reached in the reli¬ 
gious and political development of the Jews, and more yet 
the changes wrought in the political life of that nation in the 
next following centuries—must also have had the greatest 
effect on their religious ideas and general religious develop¬ 
ment.—Of the great influence which their abode in Chaldea 
has had on the Jews and their religions, I have already been 
treating. [See chapter I.] But there is yet one more impor¬ 
tant point connected with it that has not yet been men¬ 
tioned, but one that must not be overlooked, as it was it 
that gave character and form to their religion, and, to some 
extent, to the people itself. The, so-called, “Rabbinical 
Writings.” It was, namely, not only that new ideas were 
infused, and new doctrines incorporated into their religion, 
which more or less transmuted or altered it; but also that 
old ones were forgotten, neglected or changed. The Old 
Hebrew Language, too, became now more and more abso* 
late, and the Chaldaic used in its place, which became now 
the common language of the people even in Palestine. In 
order, then, to prevent the Old Testament Writings from 
becoming lost or forgotten, numerous translations, transcrip¬ 
tions, commentaries &c., of them were made in the Chaldaic 
tongue, in which also great numbers of other works were 
written, containing more or less of Chaldaic—mythological 
or Magi-mystical ideas. A ourious mixture of these and of 
the pretended mystic signification and value of certain sen¬ 
tences, words, letters, numbers, formulas &c., of a peculiar 


.TEWS AND JUDAISM. 


129 


kind of mystic-philosophieal theories—were now much cul¬ 
tivated by the most learned rabbis under the name of “Ka- 
balah,” (a word signifying “Tradition” or “Revelation”), a 
science and study which, at that time—and, in fact, for many 
long centuries after that time—gained uncommon favor and 
an extraordinary fame and appreciation among the Jews. 
On the other hand, also, exerted the writings of the Greek 
Philosopher's , now very generally studied by learned Jews 
and rabbis, a considerable influence, and many works were 
Avritten in that tongue, too. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE MISHNAH.—-GAMARAH.-TALMUD. 

Prior to this period, however, it used to be an inviolable, 
and therefore a steadily and universally observed, law with 
the Jews, that their “Written LaAv” (of Moses and the 
Prophets,) must be taught but from out of their written 
books ; while the (then yet unwritten,) “Traditions” were 
not allowed to be written at all, but were to be taught orally 
only. The exigencies of the time, however, and a fear, that 
these latter might be entirely lost or forgotten, induced one 
of their great rabbis (R. Jehudalla Rasy,) to disregard this 
law or custom. He gathered and wrote them and the Chal- 
daic writings, containing dogmas, speculations, polemics, 
disputations, sayings and sentences of celebrated rabbis, &c., 
Avhich collection he called “ Mishnah ”—“ The Second” (Law). 


130 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


In course of time, this again called forth other writings 
(Commentaries to this Mishnah, controversies, polemics &c 
&c.) which were again collected by other rabbis (about one’ 
hundred years later) and called “ Gamarah” —“The Conclu¬ 
sion”. Both these collections were finally united into that 
voluminous and famous work, called “The (Jerusalemic) 
Talmud” ; i. e., The Doctrine. *This Talmud Us had rather 
a singular fate. Valued much too highly, and venerated 
zealotically by the Jews—it was attacked much too severely 
and condemned fanatically by their and its adversaries. For 
tins latter there is some reason ; for there are some outra¬ 
geous passages in it. But not less for the former • for be¬ 
sides many quite foolish and even bad things, there are also 
some very fi,e ideas, truly philosophical speculations, excel- 
ent moral principles, wholsome precepts and even valuable 
scientific disquisitions to be found in it. Taken in the whole 
then, it is with this Talmud exactly the same as with the 
Bible, or with the Koran, or with the Vedas, or with all 
other books of that nature ; some of it is undeniably good • 
some unqualifiedly bad. We can, therefore, neither accept’ 
nor can we reject-the whole of it or of them,-but must 
be allowed to use our own discretion, our own reason and 
judgment, to select from, when it, as they, shall be of any 
use or value to ns. It is, then, neither worth the extrava¬ 
gant praise of Us admirers, nor the blind and fanatical hate 
of its adversaries ; but it, like any other book of that nature 
becomes only then absolutely bad, when we shall be required’ 
orcompeUed’ to accept the whole of it , and then this whole’ 

bis were afte'^T^e by otherTS! 

{Babylonian) TalmutiL^Tittl morfn? w ? Q m - ted und ® r the name of‘‘S, 

1 almud. It was at first (about *507 R variance with the Jei'usalemic 

wh uSme (awloof'VT’ 

vhich no Jew is now permitted to study or even peruse it' C,) ~ ln C011 sequence of 






JKWS AND JUDAISM. 


131 


CHAPTER IX. 

FURTHER HISTORY OF THE JEWS AND JUDAISM. 

In the centuries following the destruction of Jerusalem 
an its Temple by the Romans, the Jews were more and 
more dispersed throughout most all parts of Asia and Eu¬ 
rope, and many of them were even found in Africa, especi- 
ally in Egypt. (Who has not also heard the, at least 
improbable if not impossible, story of “The Lost Ten Tribes” 
ha\ ing come to America, and having been recognized here 
in the “Aborigins” of this continent, or Indians ? 

„ In a11 these countries, but more especially in Christian 
Europe, (See I. Per. Jews and Jud. Chapt. IX.) they were 
more or less persecuted. The only exception was the Spain 
of that period; because that country was then not yet 
Christian , but still in possession of its more tolerant “Un¬ 
believers,'’ the Moors, as the Mohammedans there were 
called. Among these Spanish Jews we find some of the 
most learned men of their times; learned, not only in Jewish 
Theology and Literature, but also in most all branches of 
Science generally cultivated at that time; such as, Philo¬ 
sophy, Astronomy, Medicine, &c., Ac. (Maimonides 
Aberbanel, Eben Ezra, &c.) Their good fortune was sadly 
changed, however, when, towards the end of the Fifteenth 
Century, Spain also became Christian. The Jews, and 
Moors, were there then as illy treated, as fanatically perse¬ 
cuted, as they were in all the rest of the Christian countries, 
and, they and the Moors, 1494 driven out of that country’ 
burnt, or otherwise masacred, when they refused to forsake 
the religion of their fathers, violate their convictions and 
consciences ^and—t«rn Christians! believers in “Th* Reli- 
gion of love and Charity ” (!) as the Christians, seemingly 


132 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


ironically, yet in sober earnest, called it, in spite of then* 
atrocities and Auto-da-fes !! Similar loving treatment they 
experienced also in France, England, Germany and all other 
European countries from the time of the Christian Roman 
Empire (324 A. C.) to, and during, the Crusades (1096- 
1248) and throughout the whole of the ‘-Dark Ages,” 
which were to them truly, and in more than one sense— 
dark ages. 

Still in spite of all these persecutions, partly because of 
them, they adhered faithfully to their inherited religion 
which, very naturally, was no more improved during these 
ages of ignorance and superstition, of affliction and fanat¬ 
icism, than were their political or social conditions, or than 
were the religion, morals and general culture of their ap- 
pressors, the Christians themselves. 


2 . CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE RELATIONS BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM. 

What gives the Jews, their religion, history, traditions 
and “Sacred Writings” further yet a peculiar interest and 
signal value, are the relations they bear to Christianity, 
to its origin, history and “ Saered Writings; ” that Chris¬ 
tianity must even, to a certain extent, be considered a part, 
only a continuation, of the history, tradition and develop¬ 
ment of the Jewish religion; differing only in its modified 
form of development from it, as will be *een in following 
up this present chapter “ Christians and Christianity.” 



CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


133 


CHAPTER II. 

THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY-THE NEW TESTAMENT. 

It must be evident to every one that every word about 
the origin of Christianity would be quite superfluous, since 
that is fully given in, and mainly to be learned from that 
portion of the Bible called “ The New Testament.” And 
presuming every one familiar with it, I need merely refer 
to it, and may, at once, proceed to the consideration of the 
dogmas, doctrines, history and development of Christianity 
itself. The only preliminary remark I shall make before 
entering upon it, will bo to request my readers to read over 
again and remember what I said preliminary to entering 
upon the examination of “The Old Testament,” (See Jews 
and Jud. Ch. I and II.), as what I said there in regard to 
The Old Testament and its consideration, is meant also and 
applies equally as well to The New Testament and its con¬ 
sideration. 


CHAPTER III. 

THE “MESSIANIC IDEA” IN CHRISTIANITY. 

Significant and singular enough is the main and funda¬ 
mental idea of Christianity founded on a Jewish doctrine ; 
one, too, of which I have already been speaking and com¬ 
menting on above, (See I. Per. J. & J., Chapt. X.), and 
which I also strongly censured there because involving a 
palpable partiality of God. We must, however, here again. 


134 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


and the more, give our whole attention to this doctrine, 
since it has become of yet greater importance in the Chris* 
tian than even in the Jewish religion ; having been made 
the fundamental, governing idea in the former. This idea 
or doctrine is, as the attentive reader will already have 
guessed— that of a Messiah . This is a Hebrew word, 

meaning in its true English translation “An Anointed One 
nothing more and nothing else; but assimilating with it the 
belief of the J ews of his being a King,a Ruler, (See I.Per.J.&J. 
Chapt. X,) who were also anointed, either by a priest or a 
Prophet, (Seel. Sam. 9, 16;l0, 1, &c.,) and who were, there¬ 
fore, also often called “Messiahs,” (See Psal. 2. 2; I. Sam. 24, 
'?) and in which sense David speaks of himself as well as of 
Saul, as his (God’s) Messiah.” Quite a new, and a very 
different meaning is given to this word, however, and a 
previously unknown idea attached to it, in the Christian 
religion and by the writers of The New Testament: « The 
Saviour .” Christian theologians, following the New Testa¬ 
ment and accepting this meaning or sense of the Hebrew 
“ Messiah,” have tried hard to substantiate this sense and 
meaning also, and to prove it (i. e. the « Messiah ” as “Sav¬ 
iour,” as also the “ Prophecies ” respecting him,) from the 
Old Testament. But thus far they could prove it only to 
the satisfaction (but too easily gained!) of the Believers, 
and in no wise to that of sound critic; for it can't be done ! 
as I am going to show. 


CHRISTIANS And CHRISTIANITY. 


135 


CHAPTER IV. 

EXAMINATION OP THE SO-CALLED “ MESSIANIC PROPHECIES.” 

]., GEN. 3, 15. 

The writers of, and (Christian) commentators to “ The 
Evangils,” as also to the Bible generally, will find not only 
this (Christian) sense or meaning of the word, but even the 
necessity of such a “ Messiah,” or “ Saviour ” in “ The Pro¬ 
phecies,” so-called, of The Old Testament, and as early as 
“Adam’s Fall,” as the well-known story of Adam’s eating 
of the forbidden fruit of “The Tree of Knowledge” is 
called; but especially in the passage there Gen. 3, 15. 
How, without dwelling on all that has been said, or may 
be said, of that story, I will only contend that, without do¬ 
ing force not only to the plain, natural sense , but even to 
the very words of that passage, it can not possibly be 
stamped into, or be brought into any connection with-a 
“ Prophecy of Christ ” or of any other “ Messiah.” Later 
Christian theologians and commentators felt themselves the 
difficulty of finding and proving the “ Prophecy of Christ ” 
[or of any “Messiah”] inthis passage, gave wisely the “Pro¬ 
phecy ” up, as a bad job, and now declare it generally to 
be only an “ Allegory.” * But even that will not better 
their case any. For if an “ Allegory ” (of human nature ?) 
it can certainly have no such relation to, as claimed, or be 


♦Those “Pious Orthodox,” who still cling to the “Prophecy,” and will not al¬ 
low this passage to be declared “ merely an Allegory,” because, as they claim, the 
“ Revelation ” must he taken as “ The Holy Word of God,” must at least concur 
in accepting the above passage, as the Christian Church itself doe6, as symbolic ol' 
Christ. A “Symbol,” however, is, by its very nature, mys^eriouc, liable to be 
misunderstood, misinterpreted, or, at feast, variously understood and interpreted 
by different individuals. Now, if it actually would have been intended bv, or if 
it would have been the will of Deity to acquaint men with this important’event, 
and to foretell it to them in order to comfort, or to prepare them for its future 
consumation; would it not have been wiser and better, more to the purpose, be¬ 
cause more subservient to the intentions of Deity itself, to tell it in plain and un¬ 
mistakable terms? Would it not have been most unbecoming anal wise, omniscent 
and omnipotest Being to do it in so vailed and mysterious a “Prophecy ” or “Alle¬ 
gory ? ” And this, too, with respect to so all-important, a subject ? 




130 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


a “ Prophecy,” or even but “ typical ” of Christ. It, how¬ 
ever, even the “ allegorical ” or any similar explanation ot 
this passage will, according to some, not be allowed—what 
then? Well, then, I think, it can at best, that is to say, 
when we allow the story to have been as the Bible has it, 
relate only to the actually existing enmity between man and 
the serpent. In neither case, then, can this passage be claimed 
to be a “ Prophecy,” neither of Christ nor of anybody else. 


CHAPTER V 

CONTINUATION.- 2., GEN. 22, 18. 

The next passage in the Old Testament which Christian 
commentators and theologians want to stamp into a “Proph¬ 
ecy of Christ,” but in which they succeed not any better 
than in the former, is Gen. 22, 18. 

This passage, though much more plain and clistinct than 
the other, is, nevertheless, no more a “Prophecy of Christ ,” 
or relating to him or any “Messiah,” than we found the for¬ 
mer. For this only speaks of “his (Abraham’s) progenity 
collectively ” (and in thy seed &c.,). It must, then, be like¬ 
wise rejected as a “Prophecy of Christ ; for it has not (as 
the preceeding two verses 10 & 17 show still more plainly 
especially in the Hebrew text—) and was never intended to 
have any reference to any o?ie person, but to his whole pro¬ 
genity collectively [Israel], and only ignorance or fanaticism 
can see anything else, or more, in it. 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


13? 


CHAPTER VI. 

CONTINUATION.—3., GEN. 49, 10. 

The next passage claimed to be a “Prophecy of Christ” 
is Gen. 49, 10. This passage has in so far an importance 
over the former, as it has at least the form of a “prophecy” 
and “looks like something.” Mach signification has, there¬ 
fore, been attributed to it by Christian commentators and 
theologians ; but it only “looks so important” in its English 
form ; philology and true critic, however, spoil this “look,” 
and are equally strong opposed to it as a “Prophecy” since 
every thing in this enigmatical sentence depends on the 
(most uncertain) meaning of the word “Shiloh.” But who 
or what is “Shiloh ?” The original passage—the Hebrew 
Text—does not show it, but leaves it totally uncertain and 
undecided whether “Shiloh” refers to a person or a locality 
(for which later I. Sam., 1, 3 would decide—), since the He¬ 
brew text for thh passage, “Ad Eigabho“Shiloh” ”—would 
have to be exactly the same and in these identical words 
whether they should be rendered, “ Until ‘ shiloii ’ will 

come” —or, “ Until he (Judah) will come to ‘ shiloii.’ ”_ 

At any rate the writers of the New Testament—anxious as 
they were to cite “Prophecies” from the Old Testament, and 
prone as they were to mis-cite , or to distort words and even 
whole passages in order to shape them into, or to make them 
read as, “Prophecies”—[See chapter xi.] never referred to 
this passage ; nor was Christ ever called “Shiloh” by them. 

If, however, Christions will still insist on this passage be¬ 
ing a “Prophecy of Christ”—all sound critic must teach 
them that, if a prophecy” at all, it cannot possibly be a true 
one of Christ;—for the burden of this passage—“the de¬ 
parture of the scepter from Judah”—happened, as we may 

take it, either long before Christ [by Nebuchadnezzar—lor 
long after him [by the Romans.] 


138 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER VII. 

CONTINUATION.- 4, “SYMBOLIC PROPHECIES. ”[lEVT. 1 6 —NUMB. 

21. 19.] AND 5., A REAL PROPHECY. (DEUTE. 18, 15.) 

Passing by the two next, so-called, “Symbolic Prophecies’ 
of Christ—The “Sacrifices” [on the Day of Atonement, Lev. 
16.]—and “The Copper Serpents” [Numbers 21, 19.] as be¬ 
ing altogether too obscure for a “prophecy” [See my Not© 
to chapter III.]—we will now pass on to the next, Deutr. 
18, 15. 

This one is of quite a different character from the former 
and all the preceeding ones, and worth ours whole attention, 
in as much as it is a real, distinct and clear prophecy; i. o. 
a plain, unmistakable promise, or foretelling of a precise 
future event ; one, too, that has not only been most liter¬ 
ally fulfilled, but is even still daily being fulfilled—as will 
be seen in the sequel. (See III. Per., Jews & J., Chpt IV.) 
And yet it is again neither any “Messiah,” nor much less 
any (spiritual) “ Saviour ” prophecied of, or promised here, 
but merely —“a Prophet,” “a Teacher,” “Guide”—for,’ 
and “ from among ” the people, and it is in this sense that 
this prophecy found its full, steady and uninterrupted ful¬ 
fillment not only from Moses—who made this prophecy_ 

all along during the whole existence ©f the Jewish nation 
to the destruction of the first and second Temple; but even 
far beyond that period, through the whole existence and 
history of his people—the Jews—and is even fulfilling it¬ 
self yet in our own days, daily, hourly 1 For “A Prophet , 
like myself” (and no “Messiah” no “Saviour!”) was the 
plain and unmistakable promise (prophecy) of Moses, and 
as such the history of the Jews to this very day proves its 
literal fulfillment. [See again III. Per. J. & J, Chapt. IV,] 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


139 


And such, too, and no more and nothing else, was the 
genuine, original Jewish idea of a u Messiah ” from Moses 
down to the Babylonian Captivity. But this great event 
which, as we have seen [I. Per., Jews & Jud., Chapt. X.] 
changed so much in the religion of the Jews, [II. Per. Jews 
* Jud *’ Cha Pt, II,] changed also this idea among others. 
And as the nation’s need and longing was then more of a 
political than of a religious nature, more for a political 
“ deader ” than a religious “ Prophet,” “ Guide ” or “ Mes¬ 
siah, ’ this idea was now changed into, and the “Messiah” 
looked and hoped for as a “Victorious King,” a “Mighty 
Ruler,” a “ Restorer ” of the nation and “ The Old Throne 
of David.” [Ezek. 37, 15 ; Math. 31, 9; Luke 24, 21.] 


CHAPTER VIII. 

JESUS AS “MESSIAH” OR “SAVIOUR.” 

The character, however, which Jesus claimed, or which 
at least, is attributed to him by the Evangelists, was not 
that of such a political, terrestial “ Messiah,” but that of a 
“God” “Son of God,” (a “Spiritual) Saviour !” Hence, 
his “ Messiahship ” was a new and strange, an impossible 
and unheard of idea, not only for the Jews generally, who 
hoped for, and expected a King, [John 12,13; Luke 24, 21.] 
but also for his own most confidential disciples, who wheie, 
therefore, sadly disappointed at his failure and death! 
[Math. 16, 21-22; Luke 24, 19-21.] And this was then 
the greatest, was, in fact, the reason that the Jews did not, 
and do not yet, believe in him. 


140 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY 


CHAPTER IX 

THE WONDERS JESU. 

But Jesus, we are further told by the Evangelists in 
testimony of their reports, wrought many Wonders to 
prove his “Messiahship” and “Divine Commission.” 
Moses, however, who, I should think, was pretty well qua¬ 
lified to know the true nature and value of wonders—has 
also foretold that wonders might, and by so ignorant and 
superstitious a people very easily too, be performed, but 
would not and could not be any proof of genuine prophecy, 
Prophet-or Messiahship, and thus forwarned his people “not 
to believe on account of wonders. [Deutr. 13, 2ff; also 
Math. 24, 24.] Wonders had also, it is said, been per¬ 
formed by Fo, Mohammed and ever so many Prophets and 
other persons; as, by the Egyptian Wise Men, [Exod. 7, 22,] 
&c., &c., but they were, for that reason, no “Messiahs.” 
Besides, in the time of Jesus, there prevailed among the 
Jews, and other Orientals, a general belief in the existence 
of Devils, Demons, Spirits, &c.; further in Exorcism, or the 
supernatural art of the driving out of these superstitiously 
believed “Diabolical Beings,” all of which constitute a very 
considerable and main part of the Wonders said to have 
been performed by Jesus. “And many,” we are further 
told, “believed in him on their account ” [John 11, 45.] 

What a change, then, from those days of ignorance and 
superstition—and therefore of general belief—to our better 
informed and better enlightened, and therefore more inves¬ 
tigating and less believing age?! The belief in the per¬ 
formance of the wonders, as also in the supernatural powers 
believed to be enjoyed by the wonder-worker, in those be- 
mghted times, has now, in our more favored days, become 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


141 


proof patent of the mental weakness, superstition, and 
ignorance of the thus believing, and even an argument, and 
a strong one too, against the veracity of these >Tew Testa¬ 
ment stories, as also against the intelligence w honesty— 
“ the inspiration ”—of their writers ; yea, oven against the 
character they give Jesus himself ! Very naturally; for 
any one who does not believe in the actual existence of 
Devils, Demons, (evil) Spirits, &g ., such as they are by the 
Evangelists represented to be; that is to say, real, personal, 
demoniac Beings , and not merely allegorical, symbolical 
Ideas , as some commentators and theologians explain them, 
and that these personal, demoniac beings can dweU in, have 
possession of and power over men and animals or even in¬ 
animate things. But any one, I say, who does not believe in 
such nonsense, can also not believe in these New Testament 
stories respecting them, although reported in the Holy 
Bible, and there,too, as “Testimonials” of Christ,and his Mes- 
siahship. But what intelligent man were not ashamed now 
a days to say that he believes in the personal existence and 
reality of these “ devilish beings ” and their supernatural, 
diabolical powers and influences over men, animals and in¬ 
animate things!!! 


CHAPTER X. 

REVIEW OF THESE TESTIMONIALS OF JESUS.-—d. THE WONDERS. 

We have then, according to the Bible, two distinct sorts 
ot “Testimonials” of the “Messiahship” and “Divinity” of 
Christ and Of his other characters given him in the Few 


142 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY 


Testament: 1., The many reported Wonders, said to have 
been performed either by Christ himself, or for, and in behalf 
of him; and 2.,The great number of Quotations from The Old 
Testament, claimed to be “Prophecies of Christ” there. Of 
the value of the first of these “Testimonials”-The Wonders 
—I have been speaking in the last chapter. To treat of 
them more extensively and philosophically, is, as desirable 
as it ever may be, impossible for me and prohibited by the 
character and narrow limits of these pages. I must, there¬ 
fore,. refer those who would like to learn something more 
particular about the nature and true character of these Bible- 
wonders, or of wonders generally,—as also those who really 
love Truth, but cannot quite conquer yet their early-formed 
prejudices, nor—in spite of all their doubts—their long- 
accustomed reverence of “Holy Writ "—to those learned and 
candid writers who gave their especial attention to the study 
of the Bible without either the prejudices of creed, nor the 
fear of the Church orcritic ; but treated them rationally and 
on scientific principles ; such as Feuerbach, Strauss, Renan, 
and even Bishop Colenso, and others ; or would advise them 
to read the works of purely scientific and philosophical wri¬ 
ters ; such as, Lyell, Darwin, Humbold, Spencer, J. S. Mills, 
Huxley &c., and restrict myself merely to saying yet that 
Wonders are “wonders” to three classes of men only —l 
To the Ignorant who do not know anything of Nature 
and her forever-fixed, unalterable Laws, and believe, because 
they have been brought up to and not taught any better. 2. 
To Hypocnts—who know better ; but do not say what they 
know and believe ; nor believe, what they say they do; and 
finally 3., To Fanatics—who may believe in spite of their 
better knowledge and the proofs that Science offers to the 
contrary notwithstanding. 

Wonders, then, in the sense of, and as reported in, The 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


143 


Old or New Testament—never took place, and were believed 
m only as long as men were ignorant of these matters, or 
the Church powerful enough to suppress scientific truth, and 
to command and enforce belief. But just in proportion as 
men oome to understand more of Nature and her eternal 
and unchangeable Laws—they became enlightened, con¬ 
vinced of the utter impossibility of such interruptions of 
these Laws of Nature as constitute the real character of 
wonders, and—ceased to believe in them as soon as the 
Church lost its power to command and to force the belief in 
them any longer. Instead, then, of wonders being con¬ 
sidered proof of the supernatural character and supermundam 
powers ot the wonder-worker (as in days of yore), they have 
now become proof of—his imposition [as is the case with 
if not all at least the majority, of “Spiritual Media.” See 
Spiritualism page 248.] 

So much, then, for this first sort of “Testimonials”— 
The Wonders—said to have been wrought by, or for, Jesus, 
in proof of his “Messiaship.” 


CHAPTER XI. 

CONTINUATION,—2., THE PROPHECIES. 

Not any better proof than “The Wonders” are, as we 
presently shall see, the second sort of “Testimonials,” The 
numerous Quotations from The Old Testament, said to be 
“Prophecies” of Christ, “The Messiah” and “Saviour.” 
What here strikes the attentive reader of The New Testa¬ 
ment most frappently, are the uncommonly frequent quota- 


144 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


fcioDS from The Old Testament, said to be “Prophecies of 
Christ.” But this quotations, or “prophecies,” even suppos¬ 
ing them all right and true in The Old Testament, were yet 
too numerous, too frequent in The New Testament to be all 
correct, or “prophecies,” and must at least create doubt. 
But such as they really are—they only show a want, either 
of intelligence or of integrity of the “inspired” (!) writers, 
and must then necessarily weaken, instead of strengthen or 
prove the “facts” (?) in support and in “testimony” of which 
they are cited. A very great number of these quotations 
are entirely irrelevant or foreign, to the “fact,” doctrine, or 
wonders which such quotations should prove, or sustain ; 
while another large portion of them is obviously fraudulent, 
forged, or torn from their natural context or logical import, 
and thus—made to read in an entirely different sense in The 
New Testament, than was originally meant by, and given 
them in connection with their context in The Old Testament, 
and were thus distorted into “Propheoies*’ which they are 
not, and were never intended to be ! Quotations of this 
nature are so very numerous in all the books constituting ‘The 
New Testament,” so that it is impossible to cite and speak 
of them all in this compressed treatise ; but the following 
few will be sufficient, Mathew, 1, 28 ; 2,18 ; 4, 15 ; 13,14 
15 ; 13, 35; 27, 9. Acts, 1 , 20 ; 2, 25, 28, 30, 34,—4, 25, 26, 
7, 48—51 ; 13, 33—35. Romans, 8, 30 $ 9,13, 33. I Corinth. 
6, 16, &c., 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


145 


CHAPTER XII. 

IS JESUS THE PROMISED MESSIAH ? 

But supposing even these reported wonders all true, and 
these tortured quotations all right—of what value would 
their testimony be? What could they prove? They 
would be worth just nothing—could prove nothing; be¬ 
cause they would not yet, and could not, verify what they 
ought to :— The main point. For the main question, after 
all,—even if admitting the full validity of the said two sorts 
of “Testimonials”—would not be so much, nor would they 
have to prove so much, Whether these wonders were actu¬ 
ally performed by, or in behalf of Christ? Hot Whether 
these “Prophecies” were actually “Prophecies” of, and re¬ 
lating to, the “Messiah,” or not ?—but, even then, the main 
question would still be, and it would still need to be proved, 
Whether that person called Jesus was, or was not, that Mes¬ 
siah thus testified to, or prophesied of, in The Old Testa¬ 
ment ? For all this “Testimonials,” and all these “Proph¬ 
ecies” would be worth nothing, if the “Messiah” of the 
Hew Testament (Jesus) should prove not to have been the 
Messiah of the Old Testament, that is to say, such a “Mes¬ 
siah” as he is according to The Old Testament. 

How let us investigate the facts according to both, The 
Old as well as The Hew Testament, and answer that ques¬ 
tion candidly and correctly! For if this investigation should 
show that Jesus was not that “ Messiah ” of The Old 
Testament, he can also not be “The Messiah” in The Hew 
Testament;—he may, perhaps, have been a “good man”—a 
“philantropic reformer,” &c, y “The Messiah,” “The Christ,” 
* The Saviour,” “The God” as represented in The Hew 
Testament, he oannot be. 


146 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

CONTINUATION-THE TRUE MESSIANIC IDEA OF THE OLD 

TESTAMENT. 

The “ Messianic Idea ” as prophesied and entertained by 
Moses himself, if he ever had any idea of any “ Messiah ” at 
all, was a natural and quite rational one, at least for Moses. 
According to the Bible, which we, believers and unbeliev¬ 
ers, must, in this question at least, all take as our guide, 
Moses had spent his whole life and all his energies to raise 
his uncultured and uncivilized people to the standard of a 
model nation, at least such as he conceived it, with many 
and just such peculiarities, by which they should, at once, 
be distinguished and separated from all other nations; re¬ 
ligiously not only, but also politically and socially. (Deutr. 
4, 5ff.) All his “Laws,” and all his “Institutions,” and 
even the—also but national and exclusively Israel’s—God 
he gave and taught them, all tended but to realize this final 
end of “ The Greatest Prophet,” and confident “Servant of 
this God.” It was, consequently, quite human and natural 

that he should have desired permanency for this great 
work of his life. But having often experienced the fickle¬ 
ness of his people, and deplored the shortness of life,[Paul 90] 
he must, also, have had his misgivings and apprehensions 
as to the fate of his work after his death. He, therefore, 
wisely selected his own successor while yet in his mental 
and physical strength, instructed him (Joshua) in his own 
ideas, educated him for his own plans, and, no doubt, gave 
him similar advise and instruction in respect to his (Joshua’s) 
successors, and thus for all| those succeeding him. And 
having, as he thought, thus succeeded in securing the much- 
desired permanency of his work, he could, toward the end 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


147 


of his own career, when taking leave of “his people” and 
exhorting them to adhere faithfully to his “Laws and Insti 
tutions,”and to implicitly obey his suceessor, confidently 
encourage and console them by “prophesying,” “In thus 
obeying ‘my Laws and Institutions’ you will never be for¬ 
saken” ; for, “A Prophet, like myself, will the Lord, thy God 
raise from among thy brethren—he shall be your guide, and 
him you shall obey” [Dut., 18, 15.] 

Such, then, was the ‘‘Messianic” (?) Idea of Moses—and. 
this idea was, as I said before, a very natural and rational 
one—for Moses, who, having inspired it into the minds of 
his people, and infused it into “his Institution’s,” succeeded 
thus m making it also the national idea, too, as which it en¬ 
dured from Moses to the Babylonian Captivity, a period of 
about one thousand years. But this in so many points event¬ 
ful catastrophe and its consequences, changed this natural, 
rational idea into thefancyful and chimerical one of a “Mes¬ 
siah,” a “King,” a “Restorer,” (of the nation, its old 
dynasty and glory.) [See I. Per. J. & J. Ch. X.) But 
much as this Mosaic-Messianic Idea (?) may also be cen¬ 
sured on account of its implying God’s partiality for Israel 
(Ibid), it was, nevertheless, much better, much more reason¬ 
able and sensible than the later Jewish idea of a Messiah, 
which, having neither the sensible character of Moses’ Pro¬ 
phet, Teacher or Guide, nor the rational worth of the Moral 
Idea of the better Prophets, [See Isaiah 1 , 10-24; 58] was 
merely a Phantom, created by the anguish of the nation, its 
burning desire and tormenting longing for a Deliverer, a 
Redeemer (in its literal and political, but not in its irra¬ 
tional, spiritual Christian sense!) 


148 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

CONTINUATION—THE u MESSIANIC IDEA” OF THE MEW TES¬ 
TAMENT 

But the character which the Xew Testament and Chris¬ 
tianity give to Jesus is yet eminently more so; is still more 
phantastical, more fancyful and chimerical, without even 
answering—and herein lay the cause of its rejection by the 
Jews—the national situation and necessities of the people 
and the demands of the time which shaped their “Messianic 
Idea. ’’Consequently, whatever the “Prophecies of Christ, 1 ” 
so-called, in The Old Testament, or the reported Wonders 
in The Xew Testament might be worth or thought of, £See 
Chapt. IX-XI,] or in whatever light the original (Moses) 
or even the later (Jewish) Messianio Idea, may be consi¬ 
der eu—Jesus was certainly a very widely different Mes¬ 
siah from either \ * The New Testament idea of his 


* Even the Evangelists themselves seem to have boen conscious of this contrast, 
and to have felt the necessity of dispelling all doubts, and silencing all the objec¬ 
tions on this point. Hence, in asserting to the Jews that Jesus was the promised 
Messiah, and in endeavoring to prove it to them, they gave them first his genealogy. 
For as this fancied Messiah of the (later) Jews was believed to come from the tribe 
of Judah and the Boyal Family of David, the Evangelists tried to prove by his 
genealogy and descent from David his genuine MessiahsMp. But how signally and 
miserably they failed in this, for the establishment of his authentic Messiahship so 
important point, shows a comparison of Math. 1, 1-18, and Luke 3, 28-38, A 
double geneology of Jesus is given in this two passages more at variance with 
each other than was ever given of any one individual J But more yet 1 Besides 
this palpable contradiction in the line of his descent, both these geneologies only 
prove Joseph to have been thus descended, while, at the same time, these very 
same Evangelists, and all Christendom with them, <imy Joseph's FaMumMp of 




s 



CHRISTIANS ANP CHRISTIANITY. 


149 


having been a “God” or “Son of God” or a [spiritual] 
“Saviour, was, therefore,” as already stated [I Per. J. & J., 
Chapt. X.] a new one to the Jews, a strange one to, and not 
understood by them; yea, even a new and strange one to, 
and not understood by the Apostles themselves. [Math. 16, 
21,22; Luke 24, 13-21.] And again, Jesus himself, his 
life and acts, are so extremely contradletingly reported by 
the Evangelists, that the most judicious reasoners and im¬ 
partial critics “ doubt even his very existence, and believe 
him to be but a myth! ” For in addition to these contra¬ 
dictions of the Evangelists comes also the strange and 
inexplicable fact, that none of the, otherwise so punctual, 
Roman Historians of that time, though they lived either in 
Syria itself or at Rome and wrote of all the memorable 
events of the whole empire and of their time, mention 
neither Jesus, nor speak of any of the wonders said to have 
been performed either by himself, or to have taken place at 
his death and on account of it. And yet they, and espe¬ 
cially these latter ones, would have been of a nature that 
they could not possibly have escaped the notice, and of an 
importance, that they could not well have been ignored, 
omitted or neglected by these celebrated Pagan-writers, if— 
they had actually been what they are reported in The New 
Testament. 


CHAPTER XV. 

WnAT IS THE ACTUAL CHARACTER OP JESUS ? 

How, considering all these contradictory facts, it becomes 
really a puzzle to me what to say or to make of the actual 
character of Jesus? Not that I were puzzled any whether 



150 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


he was “a God himself” or merely the “Son of a God,” 
for a man born of a woman, as he is even by his own bio¬ 
graphers, the Evangelists, reported to have been, can, 
whatever else he may be, certainly be neither a “God ” nor 
“ the Son of God.” But even when considering him as a 
man merely are the different reports which the Evangelists 
give us of him so much at variance with each other, contra¬ 
dict they themselves so much and so essentially, as well in 
regard to his own character as to that of his teachings, that 
one scarcely can know what to make of it, or which one of 
the Evangelists may be correct. While, namely, some of 
his reported acts are very laudable, some of his teachings 
excellent, aie some others at least quite open for censure 
and others even undeniably blamable. As of this latter 
category I consider, “ His disrespectful and unfilial beha¬ 
vior towards his own mother, [John 2, 4; Mathew 2, 16,] 
and his demand of, or at least advise, to others to be 
equally derelect in this first of duties. [Math. 8, 21-22;] 
his deception of, and lying to his own brothers, who, we 
are told, did (therefore?) not believe in him; (John 7, 8-10) 
his cursing of the fig tree, (Math. 21,19,) which most foolish 
and reprehensible act speaks equally strong against him 
whether he be considered a “God” or a man merely; his 
wilful destruction of other man’s property, (Mark 5, 12 
13,) and many others. Also his very frequent equivocations! 

In regard to his character as “Messiah” and “Savior” 
the Evangelists are again most contradictory. In one place 
they represent him as “ The Son of God [Math. 16,16, 
17; 26, 63]—and in another place as The Son of Man” 
[Math. 19, 28 ; Mark. 10, 33.] ; now, as “one and equal with 
God” [John 10, 30], and then again as “different from and 
inferior to God” [John 14, 28.]. But what is more incon¬ 
sistent, more singular yet—he pretends himself to have been 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


151 


sent by God, “his Father,” for the express purpose “to save 
the world” [Mark 10, 45 ; John 3, 16] ; makes the belief in 
him as “The Christ”—The Son of God”—the sole condition 
of one’s “Salvation” [John 3, 18 j 14, 6.] ; performs many 
wonders to prove himself as such and “to make men believe 
in him as such” — [Math, 13 58.] ; even condemns those who 
do not thus believe in him [John 3, 18]— and yet is himself 
afraid that these wonders might become known ; and for¬ 
bids those on whom they were worked “to tell of them to 
others ! ! !—[Math. 8, 3, 4 ; 9, 27—30.] ; and finally—what 
is yet the strangest of all—enjoins upon his own and greatest 
Apostle—Peter—“Not to tell anybody that he is Christ the 
Son of God.” ! 1 ! [Math. 16, 16. Luke, 0, 20]. 

He speaks, further, of his death as the all-important and 
necessary sacrifice “to save the world” [John, 3, 10] ; says, 
that he will give his own life “voluntarily,” and that his en¬ 
emies could not kill him if he would not consent ; [Math. 
26, 52, 54.] and yet he shuns men and places u for fear his 
enemies might kill him” ; [Math. 12, 15, 16.] lays a heavy 
curse on him who finally betrays him and delivers him unto 
his enemies [Math. 26, 24.] ; prays then (when thus betrayed) 
to “his Father” “for deliverence ;” [Luke 22, 39—42.] and 
exclaims despondingly before he expires ; “Eli, Eli ! Lamah 
asabthany ? I”—(“ My God , My God ! Why hast Thou 
forsaken me ? !” Math. 27, 40.). 

What a spectacle ! What a blasphemous idea ! An omnis¬ 
cient God “betrayed” by him whom he had'selected as his 
disciple ! And then—when thus “betrayed”—this “ God ” 
prays to “ God his Father ,” for deliverence and— is “ forsa¬ 
ken ” 1 ! ! Were it possible that sensible men, if not made 
familiar with these horrible ideas by education and associa¬ 
tion, had any thing but the utmost contempt for them ? ! 
And yet they are made fundamental ideas of Christianity ! 


152 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

CONTINUATION. 

Yet, although he was thus “forsaken,” and died (I)— he is 
also represented as having “arisen again from the grave and 
death”—and to have “ascended into Heaven” to “his Father” 

(Mato. 28, Iff,), to prove thus not only his own immor¬ 
tality, and his Divinity, but also “Immortality and Resur¬ 
rection (of men) generally.” But now let us, for the mo¬ 
ment, suppose even his own resurrection true beyond any 
cavil and not so extremely doubtful as it actually is, because 
so strikingly contradictory reported (see a little further on), 
I could, even then, still not conceive w T hat relation there 

could possibly be between the resurrection of Christ_i. e., 

the resurrection of—a God— for as such only he is repre¬ 
sented to have “died and arisen again”—and the general 
resurrection of men ; or what connection there could consist, 
what proof there could be in the resurrection of the one for 
the “immortality and resurrection” of the other ? ! But I 
must repeat it again, even Christ’s own resurrection appears 
at least extremely doubtful by the contradictory manner in 
which it is reported by the Evangelists. Besides, it is rather 
curious that they all represent it so that not only his “im¬ 
mortal and divine parts,” but also his body —for which no 
such claim is made (at least not by them or in the New Test¬ 
ament)—“had arisen further, that Mathew (29, 12) lets 
him lay fully three days in the grave ; Mark (compaire 15, 
25, 47 and 16, 1—6.) but two days. Further, that John 
(20, 1) says, there were but two women ; Mathew (28,1) that 
there were three; and Mark (16,4) that there were even more 
of them who came to the grave. Again : Mark (10, 2) says 
that it was “at the rising of the sun” when these women ar- 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


153 


rived there,—while John [20, Ij says, that “it was yet dark.” 
Lastly, Mathew [23, 2] says “they found an angel there 
who was sitting on a stone —and Luke says (24, 4) “there 
Yv'ere two men there in white garments, and they were “stand¬ 
ing in the grave.” According to all four of them, howerer, 
Jesus, though not found anymore in the sepulchre, had not 
yet “gone to Heaven” at all, but appeared again, bodily, 
unto his Apostles [Luke 24, 36 ; John 20, 19.] after his cru¬ 
cifixion, and that “he felt hungry” and “ate with them !” 
[Luke 24, 41-43.] And finally, John says [24, 13-20] he 
appeared unto them “for the first time after his resurrection” 
at Jerusalem Luke says (24, 13fl) that it was “on the 
way to Emmaus and Mathew (28, 7) that it was “on a 
mountain in Galilee.” 

These are but a few instances out of the events in the life 
and of the acts of Jesus, of his death and resurrection ; but 
enough to show how very contradictingly they have been 
reported, and how very unreliable and doubtful a character 
has been given to Jesus himself by these very writers of the 
New Testament .* 


*In view of these and other contradictions and blamishes in the character of 
Jesus, and in the further consideration that we actually know scarcely anything 
reliable in regard to him, his person, character, teachings, aims, &c. I judge it 
rather a great inconsequence and in strong contradiction with their own charac¬ 
ters, when such upright, honest and learned men, such fearless and independent 
reformers as for instance, T. Parker, Gerrit Smith. O. B. Frothingham &c &c 
o; the editors of the most liberal, independent and even atheistical journals as 
of The Index , or The Boston Investigator , and others, speak of Jesus—- whose 
Divinity “ they deny, and whom they disavow as Messiah,” and Saviour, as a 
Model mortal , and almost superhuman character. Now, very willing as I am to 
give Jesus all the praise that may be due him , I must yet insist on that we do not 
know enough of him or his life to judge him correctly. But I will even go further 
and grant that he may have been, and I trust has been , better than the New Testa¬ 
ment and his own biographers—the Evangelists, represent him; better, than we 
have seen, their report would make any unbiassed reader believe that he was •— 
yet as they are the only writers who knew, or pretend to have known him, and’as 
we must reject their testimony in order not to misjudge him— it is evident, that 
we do not and cannot know euough of him to do him justice ; and I will not do 
him the injustice to believe him to have been as represented by the Evangelists. 
But, on the other hand, wo certainly do not know enough of him to the contrary 
and to entitle us to admire him as highly and to make him such an exalted pattern 
of a man as an enthusiast, or even sober and honest men of the above stamp 
would fain make him. 



154 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

CONTRADICTIONS IN THE TEACHINGS JESF. 

Not any more or any better than in the character and acts 
they ascribe to Jesus, agree the Evangelists and the other 
writers of the books constituting “The New Testament,” in 
respect to his teachings , in which they contradict themselves 
and each other just as often and essentially. Compare, for 
instance, Luke 16, 16, 17. with Ephesians 2, 15, and Ro¬ 
mans 7, 6.—Again : Luke 2, 14 with Mathews 10, 34.— 
Again : John 5, 21 with 8, 14.—Again : Romans 3, 20 with 
Galatians 2, 16 and James 2, 14 and Romans 2,13.—Again : 
John 10, 28 with ii. Peter 3, 20. &c., &c. 

Enough has been shown, I think, to prove the plainest, 
most palpable contradictions in Christ's reported teachings , 
and in very important doctrines, too, and that, therefore, the 
so-called “Revelations ’ of The New Testament are no more 
reliable and not a whit better than we have found those of 
The Old Testament, And yet, as the Jews these, so made 
Christians those, or rather both , not only the foundation of 
their “Religion”—their “Belief ”—but say boastingly, “A 
belief in these truths”.(!)is the only way to “salvation I” 

No wonder that even the most “believing” (Orthodox) 
Christians themselves find it rather difficult to agree, to 
clearly, understanding^, and undisputably define these 
“truths ” this “only vTiy to salvation”—and ever since the 
time of the Apostles, “believing Christians” have been dis¬ 
puting, quarrelling, fighting, cursing, excommunicating, 
hanging, quartering, burning, damning and tormenting each 
other on account of differently understanding and explain¬ 
ing these “truths ” this ‘precious Way of Salvation !” And 
that even to this very day yet, after well-nigh two thousand 


CHRISTIANS ANI) CHRISTIANITY. 


155 


years of mutual denouncing, hating, persecuting and massa- 
creing they are not any more or better agreed as to which 
or what this “Way of Salvation” was ! There have been 
during this period, and partially still are, not less than One 
Thousand different Christian sects, each claiming to have 
alone the genuine, true and only “Way of Salvation !” 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIANITY I PAUL & PETER 
IN THEIR CONTROVERSY WITH JEWISH CHRISTIANS. 

Let us now, having examined its main dogmas, consider 
the History and Development of Christianity—Christians— 
and not only the “pious” and “orthodox,” but most all Chris¬ 
tians of all shades—claim that our present, unequalled, high 
state of Civilization was essentially “ Christian Civilization ” 
—the consequences and product of Christianity, and due to 
the care and fosterage bestowed upon it by Christianity, 
but more especially by “The Church.” Is this claim sus¬ 
tained by History ? Affirmed by experience? Or is it denied 
by Facts ? Refuted by the testimony of nineteen centuries ? 
Let us answer this important question impartially, accor¬ 
ding to the authentic records and unimpeachable “History 
of Christianity !” [See chapter xxviii; iii. Per chapter ii. 
and xvii.] 

The first “followers of Christ,” which were mainly Jews 
with a sprinkling of “Pagans” or “Heathen,” were called 
“Xazareenes” or “Galileans.” It was 43 A. C., as is gener¬ 
ally believed, that those of the community at Antioch, in 
Syria, were first called “Christians,” which name was soon 
given to all communities and members of communities that 



150 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY 


believed in Christ as the “Messiah.” The Apostles, in obe¬ 
dience to the command given them by their Master (Mark 
16, 15ff.) “went into all the world and preached The Gospel” 
with considerable success. There w6re soon quite a number 
of Christians in Syria, Minor Asia, Greece, Rome, and Egypt. 
But the consequences of building up “The Church” out of 
so heterogenious elements soon manifested themselves by 
internal disputes in regard to the dogmas, rites, doctrines 
and forms &c., of “The New Religion.” Those Jews, namely, 
who became Christians, remained still Jews in their views, 
belief and practices of “The Old Law,” as, indeed, Christ 
himself did (Math. 5, 17.)—and their Christianity consisted 
merely in “a belief in Christ as the promised Messiah. And 
as Christ himself had said he had “not come to destroy the 
Law, but to fulfill it”—(Ibid), and as he, consequently, con¬ 
formed himself to the Law—(Math. 26, 17, 18, 30.); so also 
continued they, too, still in the Law, and declared Circum- 
scission “necessary for salvation” [Acts, 15.] This caused 
considerable trouble in the Church of Antioch, (Ibid) which 
consisted principally of uncircumscised Heathen. Paul and 
Barnabas, who happened to be at Antioch at the time, re¬ 
monstrated with the Jews and tried hard to convince them 
that “The Rew Dispensation” required no circumscission ; 
but all in vain. The Jews insisted on the necessity ol cir¬ 
cumscission, and the community of Antioch resolved then 
“to send some of their own men, along with Paul and Bar¬ 
nabas, to the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem, to bring 
the matter before them.” A council was then held at Jeru¬ 
salem ; “but some in it who were of the sect of the Phari¬ 
sees”—still maintained that circumscission w T as necessary 
for Heathen, too, and that they must also be made to observe 
“The Law of Moses.” Paul’s persuasion, however, finally 

T 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


157 


succeeded, and it was resolved by that council that circum- 
scission was not necessary ; also, that it was sufficient for 
Heathen when they conform with “a few (especially named) 
points of the Law.”—[Ibid.] 

It speaks, however, not very favorable for Paul’s honesty 
and sincerity that he himself, very soon after—circumscised 
Timotheus at Lystra—“because of the Jews which were in 
those quarters.” (Acts 16, 1-3.) 

A similar trouble had Peter with the Jewish Christians at 
Jerusalem who had accused him of having transgressed the 
Law by having eaten with those who were not circumscised. 
(Acts 11, 23 ; Mark 2, 13, 16 ; John 4, 9.). Peter, however, 
defended himself by telling them that, while at Joppe and 
engaged in prayer, he had a “ vision”—in which he was 
bid, “ not to discriminate in these things.” Also, that he 
was afterwards instructed by the “ Holy Ghost,” “ not to 

discriminate in the things to be eaten.” (Acts 11, l_18.) 

And thus this matter, too, was settled. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

THE APOSTLES, THEIR DISCIPLES, THE COUNCILS. 

The Apostles continued to preach the Gospel to Jews 
and Gentiles, for which they were persecuted by both, Jews 
and Gentiles, and by which most of them lost their life. 
Christianity, however, by their zeal, spread rapidly farther 
and farther. Great numbers of Heathen, preferring the 
new doctrines to their worn out idolatry, were converted. 
Most of these Heathen-converts, however, embraced 
Christianity but imperfectly; became only partly Chris¬ 
tians, while they still believed in their old Heathen doc- 



158 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY 


trines and theories, and conformed to them; or got up 
new theories and doctrines in order to reconcile the contra¬ 
dictions between their new (Christian), and their old 
(Heathen) doctrines and theories—what caused a great 
deal of dissension and trouble in the “ Church.” 

As long as the Apostles, or their immediate disciples 
lived, these dissensions caused less troubles; for the Apos¬ 
tles, or their immediate disciples, were considered authori¬ 
ty ; and all disputes in regard to dogmas, doctrines, rites, 
forms, &c., &c., were brought before, and decided by 
them, and all such decisions were accepted and aquiesced in 
by everybody. But when they were gone, no such gen¬ 
erally acknowledged authority existed any more; and yet 
it was the more necessary now, as with the spread of the 
Gospel among the Heathen, the theories, doctrines &c., rap¬ 
idly increased, and with them, as a matter of course, dis¬ 
sensions and contentions. Some of these Heathen-converts, 
in particular those from the Greek Philosophers , tried to 
harmonize their old Pagan Philosopliems with the new 
Ghrietian ideas-^ and invented, to that end, new theories, 
doctrines, forms &c., which others again rejected as 
“ heresies.” In absence of the former authority vested in 
the Apostles, refuge was now had to “ Councils” (delibera¬ 
ting and consulting assemblies of bishops and elders.) 
These Councils, however, soon became dictatorial; arro¬ 
gating to themselves a much greater authority than was 
ever claimed, possessed or exercised even by the Apostles 
themselves. Several of these Councils were held in the 
second century, A. C., at Jerusalem, Rome, Antioch, 
Ephesus, and numerous other places. At this last named, 
m the beginning of the second century, the long agitated 
and perplexing question in regard to the] Pastor-feast, was 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


159 


settled by a resolution to separate the Christian from the 
Jewish feast. At others, other doctrinal points and ques¬ 
tions in dispute were settled. 


CHAPTER XX. 

THE COUNCIL AT NICE, ARIAN, ATHANASIUS, THE TRINITY. 

The resolutions of these earlier Councils are not, how 
ever, considered “ binding,” (authoratative, general) by the 
“ Church,” but only those held after “ The (Roman) Em¬ 
pire,” i. e. The State, had authorized the Church, and 
which were then called by the Emperors, or, later, by the 
Pope, and are called CEcumenical (General) Councils. 
These are considered infallible by the Church, because be¬ 
lieved to be “ inspired by the Holy Ghost.” The first of 
this kind was called by the emperor Constantin [324.] and 
held at Nice. Occasion for its call and the main question 
discussed at it, were “ The heresies of Arius”—a prespiter 
of Alexandria, who taught, that Christ was neither co-sub 
stantial nor co-equal with God, “The Father,” but a 
created being; inferior to “The Father” in nature and 
dignity, although the noblest of beings. Also, that “ The 
Holy Ghost” was not God, but created by “the Son.” 
He was chiefly opposed in these doctrines by the zealotic 
Athanasius, (afterwards) bishop of Alexandria, who main¬ 
tained and defended the doctrine of “ The Trinity ”—then 
rather a new one , but since made the general doctrine of 
the Church. 

Athanasius had also prepared, and proposed a perfect 
“ Confession of Faith,” (Since known as “ The Athanasion 
Creed;” but now believed to have been written by St. 



160 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


Hilary, bishop of Poitier in France.) His zeal and elo¬ 
quence triumphed. Both, his “ Trinity ” doctrine and his 
“ Confession of Faith,” were accepted by that Council, and 
Aiius and his doctrines condemned—not, however, without 
causing great confusion and much contention in the Church, 
lasting some centuries. For Arius, also, had a great many 
adherents in the East, and was (afterward) even favored 
by the emperor Constantin. 


* CHAPTER XXI. 

Constantin’s conversion—Christianity in Europe. 

But what was of still greater importance, and of the 
weightiest consequences for the Church, was—the emperor's 
publicly embracing Christianity at that Council, and his 
making it the dominant religion throughout his whole 
great empire, (325, A. C). This great event gave new 
strength—but soon also a new, though not improved, char¬ 
acter—to the Church. All persecutions of the Church and 
of Christians had now an end ; but the Church, in her turn 
became persecuting. It went on, however, from that time’ 
prospering as never before, and Christianity was introduced 
now also into the North and West of Europe, in sections 
where it never had been known previous to that event. 

In England made the Druids (the priests of the old 
Britons) for a while yet, strenuous efforts to keep Christiani¬ 
ty out of their island, to preserve their old religion and in¬ 
stitutions, and in and with them, the power and influence 
they gave them. But their struggle was in vain. Christi¬ 
anity made great progress not only in Briton, but that 



CHRISTIANS AND CFIRISTIANITY. 


161 


country sent also many Apostles out into Ireland and 
Scotland, and even across the channel into France and 
Germany, to convert these countries also. The Danes, or 
Normans, as they were then called, the old foes of Eng 
land, also embraced Christianity during the following cen¬ 
turies. 


CHAPTER XXII. 

CHANGED CHARACTER OF THE CHURCH AFTER CONSTANTIN. 

T ]ie adoption of Christianity by the emperor Constantin, 
the protection he gave, and the help and influence that the 
State ever lent it afterwards, brought on a material change 
in the character, and a strangely varied development of 
Christianity itself— And much as these favorable circum¬ 
stances contributed to make the Church stronger, they did 
not make Christianity any better. Up to the time of Con¬ 
stantin—during the trials and persecutions of the Church- 
no community and no bishops enjoyed, nor claimed, any 
prerogatives or superiority over others. Perfect equal¬ 
ity was the ruling principle that united all communities and 
all members into one great fraternity which a common 
name, common belief, common cause and common dangers, 
persecutions and sufferings united still closer. But the 
changed condition—the growing prosperity, the increasing 
influence of the State on the affairs of the Church-created 
now a mischievous union between the State and the Church 
that dangerously extended the power of the Bishops, im¬ 
periled, and finally destroyed, the former equality. Some 
of these bishops and other prominent men, not only in the 
Church, but also in the State, gained now an undue and 




62 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


most pernicious'superiority over their lay brethren, and 
even over the clergy of smaller cities and districts, or in 
offices of lesser degrees. These <c greater bishops ” were 
now not more contented with being leading men in Coun¬ 
cils , as was but natural and ever customary, but became 
now Church Dignitaries, and even the dispensers of new, 
formerly unknown, Church Dignities, created purposly for 
them by—the State. They (and not more the Councils) 
ordered now new feasts , ceremonies and rites, promulgated 
even new doctrines, metaphisieo—theological theories, &c., 
as “faith,” and caused, by the mere weight of their “digni¬ 
ty,” theTnfluence of their office, or the authority which the 
State lent them—the Church to adojit them. Many new 
theories, doctrines and practices, foreign to the teachings 
of Christ, even opposed to them, and unknown to the 
“ Early Christians ” and the “ Primitive Church ” were 
thus imposed] upon Christianity. Monks, Monasteries, 
Pilgrimages, the adoration of Saints and Relics, were 
thus introduced at that period. As a further consequence 
of this, religions rites and forms multiplied quickly, and 
were invested with an importance, and even merit, not in¬ 
herent in them; while the manner of worship and Church 
service were, by the introduction of now—-and not a few 
of them Heathenish—usages and ceremonies, made most 
gorgeous and pompous, sensual and formal, but withal at¬ 
tractive, enticing and captivating. 

The celebration of the first (Sunday) in place of the 
biblical Seventh day , also—up to that time not yet gener¬ 
ally observed—was now permanently established and en¬ 
acted by a State Law, (See I, Per. Jews, chap. XII,) as 
were also the worship of Many, as “ The Holy Mother of 
God,” of the Apostles, Saints and Martyrs, &c., and extra 
days appointed as “ their special feasts.” The “ worship in 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIAN IT V. 


163 


truth and in the spirit,” and the simplicity taught and in¬ 
sisted on by Christ—wore thus lost and superceeded by an 
external, imposing, but use—and worthless form worship. 


CHAPTER XXIIL 

TliB BISU0P 0F ROME—HIS A RE O GANT CLAIMS—THEY ARE 
OPPOSED BY THE BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 

^ In all these changes, the Bishop of Rome—now called 
“Pope,” had gained the most. His influence and (supe¬ 
rior) authority extended by and bye, over all Christendom ; 
not merely in Church matters alone, but also in political 
and wordly affairs, to which he chiefly aspired. He claimed 
not only superior, but supreme authority on ground of his 
being “ The Successor to St. Peter ” “The rock on whom 
Christ built his Church,” and of being “ The Vice Regent” 
of God or Christ on earth—and pretended that, as such, 
he was superior to any (worldly) prince or sovereign “who 
could hold their kingdoms < which were all Christs , 5 only 
by the sanction, and only in fee, of the Church.” The 
princes and sovereigns of Europe, of course, protested; yet 
there was neither prince nor sovereign who could effectually 
oppose these arrogant pretensions, but it was finally done 
successfully by the Bishops of Constantinople, who, being 
bishops of the Metropolis of The Oriental Empire, claimed, 
on that ground, “ equality in dignity” with the bishop of 
Rome. Thus ensued those rivalries and jealousies between 
these two proud and arrogant prelates, which brought on 
a long and obstinate struggle, which grew worse yet when 
the bishops of Constantinaple not only refused to acknowl¬ 
edge and to submit to the authority and superiority of that 




164 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


of Rome, but even questioned some of the latters theologi¬ 
cal dogmas, theories and ceremonies,- and taught others 
which he of Rome, in his turn, rejected and condemned as 
heresies. After accusing, recriminating, accursmg and ex¬ 
communicating each other repeatedly, the bishop of Con¬ 
stantinople finally renounced Rome, its bishops and its 
Church, and established an independent one, called “ The 
Greek Church,” [See that article,] with Constantinople as 
its Metropolis, and himself as its head, still claiming how¬ 
ever, the title of “ Catholic ” for his Church. Repeated 
efforts for a re-union were afterwards made by Rome but 
failed, and “ The Greek Church ” is, to this day, still sep¬ 
arated from Rome or “The Latin Church,” and has, in 
course of time, become a separate organization, as we shall 
find when treating of that Church especially. It tore from 
Rome almost the whole of the Orient. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

N 

ROREDOM IN ITS HEIGHT-POPE GREGORY VII, AND HENRY IV. 

But what Rome thus lost in the Orient, it soon gained 
again in the Occident, where the povm* and influence of its 
bishops, the Popes, went on increasing until that famous 
prelate Hilebrand became Pope (Gregory VII. 1073), when 
Papal authority and power gained its highest goal. From 
that time to the Reformation of Luther [1517.] the Popes 
were not only the acknowledged spiritual , but also the 
highest political power in all (Occidental) Christendom, to 
whom the greatest princes and sovereigns of Europe had to 
succumb. After a prolonged struggle with that weak, la- 



CHRISTIAN'S AND CHRISTIANITY. 


165 


mentably vascillating emperor of Germany , Henry IV, 
Pope Gregory gained, finally, such a decisive triumph, that 
the former was not only compelled to do penance in order to 
reconcile the incensed Pope, but this latter could even go to 
such extremes as to let this dispisable emperor—mid-winter 
as it was—wait the days, barefooted and in penitentials, in 
the court-yard of the castle of Cannosa (a possession of 
the countess Mathilda of Thuscia, the Pope’s paramour, 
with whom he was at that time—) ere he could be prevailed 
upon to let the much humbled emperor come before him ! 


CHAPTER XXV. 

THE PAPAL DOMINIONS.—THE DECRETALS. 

The foundation of the so-called “States of the Church” or 
“The Papal Dominions,” however, was laid several centuries 
prior to Pope Gregory. Pipin the Little, King of the 
Franks and father of Charlemagne, gave Pope Stephen II 
most all of the former/Greek Ex-Archat,” which donation 
his son Charlemagne renewed [774.] ; reserving, however, 
the sovereignity over it for himself. This mighty ruler con¬ 
verted also the (yet unconverted) Germans, especially the 
Franks and Saxons, to Christianity. These latter not,however, 
without a most desperate resistence. It cost Charles all 
his energy and a most bloody and cruel war to conquer and 
convert them. But, pious as he was, he exercised the sov¬ 
ereignty even over Rome, and kept in all worldly matters 
the Pope dependent on him. 

The “Papal Dominions” grew from the above small be- 
gining, partly by further donations, partly by purchases by 
later Popes, to quite a considerable realm. Pope Urban HI. 



166 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY 


made then as early as 1215 Rome independent from the 
German emperors (the successors to Charlemagne) in spite 
of all their protestations and opposition. From first to last, 
all means—fair and foul ones—were used by the Popes to 
make themselves not only the spiritual heads, but also, and 
chiefly, the political masters of, and the real sovereigns in, 
all Chrisendom. They even did not hesitate to use force*; 
as, excommunications, bans, interdicts &c., or even frauds ; 
as “The Decretals.” These were, namely, certain “Decrees” 
(as their name indicates) and spiritual and political decis- 
sions, given, or pretended to have been given, by certain 
Popes in certain cases, which were afterwards collected, added 
to the “Canons” of the Church and the “Resolutions of Coun¬ 
cils” and then—given them equal authority with these latter ! 
Afterwards they were even made the basis of the so-called 
“Canon Law,” or “The Law of the Church.” And though 
it had ever been held that they, or at least the major part 
of them, were frauds and forgeries—this by no means pre¬ 
vented the holy “Vicars of Christ” by whom, at any rate 
in whose interest, they had been forged—as they had for 
them alone value—to give them sanction and authority ! 
It was, in fact, these very “ Decretals,” and, perhaps, only 
they, that made the Popes what they were from the first 
promulgation of these fraudelant and forged documents to 
the Reformation: The political as well as the spiritual 
heads, the real sovereigns and supreme rulers in all Chris¬ 
endom. 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


167 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE CRUSADES. 

But an event took now place which—although occurring 
in the Orient and outside of the Church—had nevertheless 
the greatest influence on Christianity and its Church. 
Mohammed, namely, had there become the founder of a 
new religion that spread with unparalelled rapidity, and 
had, in less than half a century, extended to and conquered 
a very considerable portion of Asia and North Africa. 
Jerusalem and all the places dear to Christians as the thea¬ 
tre of the birth, life and acts of Jesus and his Apostles, fell 
into the hands of these “ Unbelievers,” what caused great 
annoyance to the whole Christian World. Not only to 
that portion of it in the Orient; but also to that of the 
Occident. For ever since the Fourth century Pilgrimages 
to “ The Holy Land ” and “ its Holy Places ” were held 
to be something very meritorious, and contributing greatly 
to salvation. (See chap. XXII.) Pilgrimages in general 
to certain places, churches, monasteries and to the “ Re* 
liques of Saints,” kept, exposed and worshiped (!) there— 
(and held in more or less estimation and veneration in 
proportion to the more or less, greater or minor, miracles 
reported, and generally believed, to have been wrought by 
them,) were quite in vogue in those days of ignorance, su¬ 
perstition and fanaticism, as they are even yet in our own 
so much more enlightened age, in Catholic countries ! But 
in the highest degree meritorious “ atoning for all sins and 
surely securing Heaven ” was—a pilgrimage to “ The 
Holy Sepulchre ” and other places at Jerusalem and its 
“ Haloed surroundings.” 

As long as the Arabs, “ Mohammed’s people,” were in 


168 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


possession of the Holy Land, these pilgrimages could go 
on without much molestation, and thousands upon thous¬ 
ands of pious pilgrims went there year after year. But 
when, in the later part of the Eleventh century, the Seld- 
jukian Turks—a barbarous people—conquered, these and 
other portions of Asia, drove out the Arabs, misused the 
Christians, and desecrated their Holy Places—many pil¬ 
grims came back to Europe again (1075) without having 
been able to reach these objects of their piety, or to per¬ 
form their devotion. They gave a most doleful account of 
the maltreatment and sufferings of the pilgrims, and the 
hardships of Christians generally. Peter of Amiens, (The 
Hermit), returned] (1094) from Jerusalem, bringing with 
him a petition to the Pope asking for aid, Lorn the Patri¬ 
arch of Jerusalem. He gave a horrid picture of the suffer¬ 
ings of Christians at the hands of the Turks. He showed 
also a letter, dropped from “Heaven”—as he pretended—and 
ascerted further, that Christ had appeared unto him in a 
dream, and commanded him, to call on all the world to go 
and re-conquer, the Holy Sepulchre. 

The Pope, [Urban II.] quickly perceiving the advantages 
such an undertaking would bring him, called a general 
meeting at Piascensa and another one (1096) at Clerment, 
(France). He and Peter made eloquent appeals to the im¬ 
mense crowds assembled there, to go and re-conquer the 
Holy Land, and rescue the Holy Sepulchre from the hands 
of these unbelievers. Their fiery words electrified the 
whole multitude who responded as with one voice, “God will 
it ! God will it!” Those ready and willing to engage in 
this “God-pleasing undertaking”—men in their prime, hoary 
men and children—fastened a cross to their breast, and, the 
Crusades—bloody wars that cost Europe thousands upon 
thousands of lives and millions of treasures—commenced, 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


169 


to last two centuries. Peter of Amiens led in the same 
year his countless hordes Eastward; but most all perished 

miserably in consequence of mismanagement and of 
the wants and hardships they suffered, without even hav¬ 
ing reached the Holy Land. Better success, however, had 
m the following year, Godfry of Buillon who, after’ hav¬ 
ing been joined by other “Crusaders,” who had taken a 
different route, mustered 100,000 well-armed horsemen and 
200,000 on foot before Jerusalem, which city he conquered 
[July 1099] and whereof he was made King. But he died 
there the following year. The Turks were not a people to 
acquiesce so easily and tamely in this conquest, and the 
crown of the new King of Jerusalem—Baldwin, Godfrey’s 
brother—was ever insecure on his head. Several more 
Crusades followed during the following two centuries which 
gave the Popes often opertune means to get rid of many a 
valiant antagonist in goading or (forcing) him on to en¬ 
gage in a Ciusade and also the Church a welcome chance 
to obtain countless valuable “Legacies.” Finally the last 
and unhappiest Crusade was made 1248 (under the leader¬ 
ship of Louis VII, of France) in which every place yet 
held by Christians was lost. 


CHAPTER XXVIJ. 

INDULGENCES. 

During the commotion caused by the Crusades the enun¬ 
ciations of the Popes became undisputed and undoubted 
authority, and the doctrines of the Church and “points of 
faith” were, by them, considerably augmented; as, for in- 



170 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY - . 


stance, by the doctrine of the Transsubstantiation, (or the 
doctrine, that the Wine and Bread used in the Eucharist, 
are, by this act, “transformed into the actual, real and phys¬ 
ical blood and body of Christ !”) ; the doctrine of The (7) 
Sacrements ;—of The Purgatory ;—and of many others 
which were severally defended by the Scholastics—(a pecu¬ 
liar school of philosophical Divines of those days). But the 
most reprehensible of all was the preposterous doctrine of 
“Indulgences ,” or Papal Letters of remission of all and ev¬ 
ery kind of sins for— Money ! According to these “Indul¬ 
gences ” the Pope not only, but even every priest , is made 
the depositary of perfect Absolution,—may grant or with¬ 
hold absolution. And, as a further and natural consequence 
of this doctrine and the power it vests in priests, that any one 
may get entire forgiveness of sins and total relieve from all 
their consequences by — mea?is of MONEY-in buying Indul¬ 
gences / / /—[ See I. Per. Egyptions, chapter, IV.]. 

This Indulgence- doctrine, combined with the enormous 
corruption of the clergy and various abuses in the Church 
—gave, a few centuries later, occasion to those eventful dis¬ 
turbances in the Christian World of Europe, known as The 
Reformation . 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

“ THE DARK AGES ! ” 

The time from the “Crusades,” or a couple of centuries 
preceeding them, to this great event is styled “The Dark 
Ages”—and well do they deserve this appellation. The bet¬ 
ter spirit of Christianity was during these dark centuries lost 
in the mass of forms and ceremonies, of new and un-Chris¬ 
tian doctrines and theories &c., and its original simplicity 
and ideality superceeded by pompous rites, splendid forms, 
a sensual, captivating worships, and other such mummeries. 



CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


m 


The clergy itseif; “head and members,” as the significant 
phrase then used had it, was most ignorant and profligate 
and vicious withal; while the masses of the people were 
sunken to a depth of ignorance, superstition and misery 
really appalling. J 

And yet there are still to be found those—and they are 
even not merely the ignorant and fanatical ones-who will 
pretend that Christianity and the Churchhad. produced, had 
at least, greatly served and promoted Culture, Arts, Sciene 
&c., and that, what little of Civilization there was in these 
“Dark Ages,” had been the work of the Church, created 
nourished and fostered by her !—[See chapter xviiij. Yet 
History tells a different story on every one of her pages ! 
T’is true, though, there were, now and then, some “Learned 
Monks,” and what little there was of Science and Learning 
in that long night of “Medieaval Darkness,” was generally 
found in monasteries, and cultivated there by monks. But 
on the other band it is not less true, that they did neither 
cultivate Science for Science sake, nor for the benefit of the 
Ignorant masses ; nor less yet that they ever tried to in¬ 
struct, or endeavored to enlighten them. It was but the op¬ 
pressive loneliness of the cloister, the burdensome leisure of 
their useless life that made them study ; they wanted to 
while away the ennui of their monastic loneliness; and even 
then they studied in the interest of the Church only. And 
so, if we admit on the one hand (in the just given sense), 
the validity of the above claim,—it can also not be denied’ 
on the other hand, that monks and the Church did much 
more to prevent, to suppress Science, Learning and Culture 
than to further them ; that whenever and wherever any 
talent or learning, any useful invention, any important dis¬ 
covery, any promising genius or bold progress manifested 
themselves outside the cloister —they were persecuted and 


m 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


suppressed by jealous bigoted and ignorant monks, and even 
oppressed, persecuted and— punished by the Church herself / 
Such, for instance, was the case with the invention of that 
most valuable Art of Printing (1446)—which the ignorant 
but jealous and fanatical monks persecuted, and the Church 
oppressed and descried as “ The Devil’s Invention ; ”—be¬ 
cause, up to that inesteemable invention, monks were the 
only ones who wrote and—sold books ! So it was, again, 
when the learned Galileo first pronounced his great truth of 
a The Rotation of the Earth”—which was denied and com¬ 
bated by these fanatical and ignorant monks, stigmatized 
and condemned as “heresy” by an “infallible Church”—who 
finally compelled him to abjure his “errors” on his knees— 
although he was so thoroughly convinced of the correctness 
of his theory and of the truth of his assertion, that, on ris¬ 
ing from his involuntary abjuration, he uttered the ever- 
memorable words, “And yet it moves 1” 

And as with these, so it was with every advance in Knowl¬ 
edge and progress in Science, with every great invention, 
useful or important discovery, with every talented student, 
with every inspired genius ! So it was, too, with every true, 
bold and honest man who spoke against the errors of the 
Church, the corruption and bad ways of her clergy ! For 
there were still men who, in spite of the Church and her 
terrors, saw the corruption of the clergy, the errors and false 
teachings of the Church, and, what was still more, men, who 
were bold enough to give a fearless expression to what they 
saw, knew and believed, and honest enough to act upon 
their belief and conviction—and true and fearless enough to 
try to reform the Church and her clergy. But they were 
silenced, were persecuted for it by—the Church herself, 
even unto death ! [See Period iii. Christ, chapter, ii.; xvii.]. 

y 


the geeek church. 


173 


THE GREEK CHURCH. 


CHAPTER I. (XXIX.) 

ITS ORIGIN AND DOCTRINES. 

We have seen above [chapter xxiii.] that the arrogant 
pietensions of The Bishop^ of Rome (Pope) caused great 
opposition on the part of The Bishop of Constantinopel, 
and that, finally, these pretensions, coupled with doctrinal 
disagreements, determined this latter to renounce Rome, its 
Bishop and Church, and to form an independent one with 
Constantinopal as its Metropolis, and himself as its head. 
This Church is called “The Greek Church.” She claims the 
Bible as its foundation ; but acknowledges also, besides it, 
The Traditions” as “source of faith ;” understanding by 
and comprising in “Traditions,” the (oral) teachings of the 
Apostles and the Greek Fathers of the Church, also the reso¬ 
lutions of seven General Councils. She accepts, further, 
the Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Churh ; 
deviates from that, however, in its practical appliance of 
them; declaring a triple emersion and of the whole body 
necessary for Baptism, as well by children as by adult 
proselits; and performing “The Bishoping” immedi¬ 
ately after it as “ The Finishing Part ” of it. Transsub¬ 
stantiation and “ The Mass ” she accepts also from the 
Roman Church; but varies again from this in ordering 
The Bread to be leavened, and The Wine to be mixed 
with water, and both given to everybody, even to children, 
dhis is done by means of a spoon filled with the conse¬ 
crated Bread and Wine. In the administration of the 
Mctreem TJnetion she goes much farther than the Roman 
Church, giving it not only (as this does) to the dying, but 



174 


THE GREEK CHURCH. 


also to the sick generally—as a means of regaining their 
•health! and for absolving and satisfying the soul. She 
deviates again from the Roman' Church in rejecting its 
“ Purgatory, Predestination and Indulgences.” Carved 
and cast Images she permits, but prohibits painted ones. 
This Church has also, like the Roman, numerous Fasts 
(though not identically the same as this latter) during 
which all animal food, with exception of fisJi y is prohibited 
These are very religiously observed by all classes. 

A peculiar doctrine of the Greek Church, in which she 
not only deviates from the Roman, but from most every 
other Christian Church, is the doctrine “ That the Holy 
Ghost emanate from ‘ The Father” alone. It is, I think, 
rather difficult to understand how she can reconcile this 
exclusiveness and the doctrine of equality and unity of 
“ The Persons of the Trinity,” which she also with the 
Roman and the rest of Christian Churches accepts and 
maintains. But then, this doctrine is in that Church, after 
all, not any more unreasonable, but about just as sensible, 
and as well to comprehend, as in any other. 


CHAPTER II—(XXX.) 

THE CLERGY OF THE GREEK CHURCH. 

The clergy of the Greek Chnrch are divided into the 
Lower and the Higher clergy. The former only are al¬ 
lowed to marry, but they must marry a vergin ; a widow or 
a second wife after the death of the first one, they are not al¬ 
lowed. If, than, a member of the Lower clergy loses liis 
wife, he is not permitted to live any longer in his parish, but 
is obliged to retire into one of the numerous monasteries. 
The Higher clergy, however, must not marry, nor be mar- 



THE GREEK CIIURCIT. 


175 


ried, at all; they are, for that reason, only taken from the 

monastic clergy. Divorces are allowed; but only for lay¬ 
man ; never for the clergy. Their forbidden grads of re¬ 
lationships are extended to even spiritual relations; such 
as, (godfathers— mothers, sons,. &c. 


CHAPTER III. (XXXI.) 

DIVISIONS IN THE GREEK CHURCH. 

Though we find The Greek Church divided into several di- 
visions, we cannot strictly call them sects, as they are more 
the consequences of local causes and influences than of 
religious or dogmatical differences. In Russia the Church 
there has no Patriarch, as the Emperor is (since Peter the 
Creat) also the head of the Church as well as of the em¬ 
pire. All the Ecclesiastical affairs are in the hands of an 

especial oemmission-the so-called, Holy Synod at St. 

Petersburg, composed of the Higher clergy and some lay¬ 
man. The Greek Church in Turkey has Four Patriarchs of 
whom he of Constantinople is the head. He has consider¬ 
able income; but almost half of it goes to the Sultan as 
tribute. The Greeks in Turkey are, besides, subject to many 
restrictions.* In Slavony, Croatia and different other parts 
of Austria; also in Venicia and other portion of Italy, are 
a great many, “ United Greeks,’’-who differ from the “Ortho¬ 
dox Greeks,” (those in Greece, Turkey and Russia), in ac¬ 
cepting also the dogmas of the Roman Church, but having 
their own Church Government, the old names for their Ec¬ 
clesiastical Honors and Offices, permission of marriage as 
also of Beards and Hats for their priests, the old Liturgy 
and the Greek Language for the ir Church Service. They 
♦See the For. III., Turkey, where this remark is considerably qualified. 






THE GREEK CHURCH. 


176 

have also the strong Fasts, and the giving of the Bread and 
Wine in the Eucharist to everybody, in common with the 
Orthodox Greek Church; conditions, which the Jesuits 
were obliged to accept, and by which they hoped to bring 
about a reconciliation and re-union in their efforts to affect 
one in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries. 


CHAPTER IY—XXXII. 

GENERAL HISTORY AND CHARACTER OF THE GREEK CHURCH. 

Although this Church originated in opposition to the ar¬ 
rogance of the Popes and the Roman Church, yet it is 
neither any better, nor any more liberal than this. It has 
even not kept equal steps in the development and progress 
which this latter has unmistakably made, at least in some 
parts of Europe, since the Reformation of Luther. The 
main cause of this backwardness is its fate in past centu - 
vies that prevented its development, deterred its progress, 
depressed its spirit and incapacitated it from improving 
equally with its European sisters. At the time of its own 
establishment the Greek Empire was already in its agonies; 
and when it—after a merely shadowy existence of a couple 
of hundred years longer—was finally conquered by the 
Turks and absorbed by the Osmanic Empire—the Moham¬ 
medan yoke laid ever afterwards so heavily upon it that it 
but with difficulty could preserve life. In other parts of 
Asia and Europe where its secular conditions were less dam¬ 
aging, and even in those where it became the dominant 
religion of the land—as in Russia—were the peoples who 
confessed it so little civilized and educated, were they, or 
are still, so ignorant, so un-free, so slow in the progress 
and improvements which other nations of Europe have made 



MOHAMMEDANISM. 


177 


since its establishment, that the natural consequences of 
these injurious conditions '—ignorance, superstition, bigot¬ 
ry fanaticism, &c., &c., are even stronger and more gen¬ 
erally prevailed among the confessors of that creed than 
among those of any European and Christian religion. Even 
the Greek Church in Russia—mighty strites toward Eu¬ 
ropean civilization as that great empire has made since its 
Great Peter in secular and qoolitieal affairs, and even great¬ 
ly favored and fostered as it is by the government there_ 

makes no exception. 


MOHAMMEDANISM. 

CHAPTER I. 

ANCIENT ARABI A AND TIIE ARABS. 

Mohammedanism originated in Arabia in the Seventh 
century. Of the ancient history of Arabia we know but very 
little. The old traditions of it give us but very little light 
on it. Even the reports ot the Byzantines, as those of the 
Jews and Romans concerning the Arabs, are extremely 
meager. The most we know of them is that they were JVo- 
mades as to their habit, and Sabainists as to their religion, 
and that the natural advantages of their country—surroun 
ded, as it was, on three sides by the sea, and on the fourth 
side by an impassible desert—enabled them to preserve their 
patriarchal manners, their freedom and independence, in 
spite of the. many “ Great conquerors ” around them, who 
tiied to 10 b them of both. And while all the surrounding 
countries fell a prey to these destroyers of nations, their 
freedom and welfare, defended the Arabs, their country 
and its independence against every one of them with suc¬ 
cess, and preserved thus their liberty and customs, their 



178 


MOHAMMEDANISM. 


language and habits unimpaired for thousands of years. 
For the partial conquest which some of them effected were 
of so little consequences, but so ephemeral, and changed 
consequently so little, that it scarcely deserved the name of 
conquest. The Macedonian yoke lasted so insecurely on 
them that it was soon and easily thrown off again ; and 
even all-conquering Rome could never master the whole 
country. 

The Arabs were composed of many tribes, each ruled 
over by the oldest or worthiest of a prominent family whom 
the whole tribe elected, and whom they obeyed voluntari¬ 
ly. But the union of all the tribes, as one people, was per- 
served by a common name, common origin, * common lan¬ 
guage and manners. They lived rather secluded, isolated 
from all other nations; only commerce and war—this lat¬ 
ter made for the spoils only—brought these tribes into con¬ 
tact with nations beyond their own boundaries. But they, 
nevertheless, received, and gave an asylum to the refugees 
ot all nations who fled early and often into Arabia for safe¬ 
ty from their own people. So, we find, did David (I. Sam. 
23,14; 25,1.) so the as hereties persecuted Monophysits 
and Hestorians in the Fifth century. 


CHAPTER II. 

MOHAMMED. 

Such was the country and such the people among whom 
Mohammed was born 569 A. C. He belonged to a noble 
family; yet when his father died while he (M.) was yet very 
young, he left his mother but five camels and one Ethiopian 
slave; whieh inheritence went to the son when his mother 


* They all claimed, Namely, to he descendants of Yockton, son Eber’s (Gen. 13, 
25,) and of Ishmael, son Abraham’s, ]Gen, 25,14.) 




MOH A AI MEDAN ISM. 


179 


also died when he was but three years old. His uncle 
took now care of him, brought him up for commercial bu¬ 
siness, and sent lnm repeatedly with his caravans into Syria, 
Mesopotamia, and Palestine—travels of the greatst influence 
and efiect on the susceptible mind of Mohammed, who had 
inherited from his mother her excellent mental talents and 
an insinuating, irresistable eloquence; and from his father 
the most perfect, manly beauty; qualities, which greatly 
favored, and partly explain, his easy persuasion of his hear¬ 
ers, and his consequent success. Whosoever heard him re¬ 
spected him, and whoever saw him loved him. His fiery 
spirit shone out of his black and piercing eyes, and mani¬ 
fested itself in his majestic gait. A vigorous health color¬ 
ed his cheeks with a charming, though rather dark, teint, 
fine traits gave a pleasing mildness to his expressive fea¬ 
tures, and his was withal a well formed, strongly built, yet 
not too tall body. 

Such were the gifts Nature had bestowed upon this won- 
derous man, by the aid of which he conquered every heart 
wherever he went to. These auxiliary qualities, however, 
were only valuable means for, but could not satisfy this am¬ 
bitious visionary. His bold spirit aspired to more brilliant 
results and extra-ordinary achievements, for the realization 
of which he needed still other means which, however, he 
was yet wanting. His immediate aim and desire was, than 
to obtain these too; and he gained them by marrying a 
rather old, but rich widow w r hose extensive commercial af¬ 
fairs he had been conducting for some time. After his 
marriage he made but a few more great journeys, then re¬ 
tired into seclusion, and gave himself up to contemplation 
and speculation. His solemn, mysterious manner now be¬ 
gan to fill his friends and relatives with wondering fore¬ 
bodings. 


180 


MOHAMMEDAN ISM. 


CHAPTER III. 

MOHAMMED IN HIS SECLUSION. 

In this state of mind he reflected in his solitudes upon his 
great project of becoming the founder of a new religion. 
Circumstances—these great contrivers in shaping events— 
were quite favorable to his great plans. In Arabia itself he 
found nothing but insiped superstition ; in Syria (including 
Palestine) was the Jewish religion so exclusive and illiberal, 
that it was for its Pagan neighbors more repulsive than at¬ 
tractive ; and the Christian sects there and in other parts of 
the Orient causes so much dissension and so much mischief 
that the Heathen hated and detested Christianity itself the 
more intensly, as they considered, it as the source of all these 
evils. With both of these latter religions, however, Mo¬ 
hammed had become considerably versed during his numer¬ 
ous travels North in past years. To unite, then, the essence 
and better parts of these two religions into one great idea, 
and then to bring this idea under a pleasing form before the 
lively imagination of his Arabs—became thus the long and 
interesting dream of this extra-ordinary man, who, like all 
visionaries of his stamp, was finally so engrossed with the 
fancies of his own imagination, that he was soon not aware 
anymore of its being his own self that created them, but 
imagined Divinity itself acting in and through him ; himself 
its especial instrument and surrounded by wonders. In his 
frequent and long solitudes appeared then to his excited im¬ 
agination the most wonderful visions, of which he spoke as 
of realities on his return to his friends and relatives, what 
filled them, in their turn, with the utmost respect and admi¬ 
ration for him. How desirable and interesting would it be 

to know what it was that he told them ? ! But we do not 

* W 


MOHAMMEDANISM. 


181 


know it; and as it was not recorded, neither by himself nor 
by others, it never will be known or made out. But after 
his death were—as was generally the casein the life of such 
men so many and so wonderful stories told of him that, by 
them, his life was distorted into the most absurd nonsen¬ 
sicalnesses. 


CHAPTER IY. 

MOHAMMED AS A PROPHET. 

Mohammed had the fate of all prophets—he was (at first) 
not believed and valued by his countrymen ; he was even 
furiously hated ond violently persecuted. When he first 
told, God had chosen him as his ambassador, and that he 
still received his messages, night after night, by the angel 
Gabriel—they only laughed at him and wondered, how that 
else so wise man could have so strangely changed. But 
when his relatives, and especially his father-in-law Abu Bekr 
a very highly esteemed man—spoke with great earnest¬ 
ness of his “ Divine Mission one after the other of his 
neighbors and acquaintences became attentive, and anxious 
to hear the new doctrine. On seeing this, his deriders became 
alarmed, apprehending, Mohammed might by the aid of his 
adherents raise himself above them, and were filled with 
jealously which soon ripened into the bitterest hatred. Mo¬ 
hammed found now his life in danger, and fled secretly from 
Mecca. But when, soon after his return, his adherents in¬ 
creased more and more, so that he was, by and by, at the 
head of a considerable religious association, bound to him 

by an oath, and when he—after the example of Christ_ 

sent Twelve Apostles into the country; than the tribe Kor- 



182 


MOHAMMEDANISM. 


esh—although Mohammed himself belonged to it—thought 
that now it was time and that they were fully iustified to 
put him out of the way. They conspired, then, to assassin¬ 
ate him, and one out of every family (of that tribe) engag¬ 
ed to kill him when and whenever he might be found. Once 
more Mohammed was obliged to flee from his native place, 
and it was but with difficulty that he escaped to Madinah, to 
which place his fame had gone before him.' And the in¬ 
habitants of that city being at enmity with the^tribe of 
Karesh that drove him away, he found a welcome reception 
with them. After some time he returned from there again 
to Mecca ; this time at the head of a small army, but one, 
that fellowed him enthusiastically. For they esteemed 
him very highly, as well on account of his personal value, 
as on account of his doctrines which he continued to preach. 
His “ Flight from Mecca to Medinah ” (called Hegira) was 
even considered by his adherents of such importance that 
it was afterwards made the commencement of a new era 
with them ( 622 , A. C.), and ever since Mohammedans count 
their years by that event, as Christians count theirs from 
the birth of Christ. 


CHAPTER Y. 

MOHAMMED AS PKOPHET. (CONTINUED.) 

As soon as the new religious association had formed it¬ 
self into an army, tribe after tribe joined it with their cam¬ 
els and horses. For these roving nomades knew of noth¬ 
ing more attractive than to rove about, pillaging, provided 
the chieftan was a valorous man. And such a man Mo¬ 
hammed certainly was. Inspired himself in the highest 



MOHAMMEDANISM. 


183 


deg.ee by h ls own “visions” and fancies, and confidingly 
believing m Fatahsrr ^he was not.only himself a model of 
valor, but inspired also his 'followers with his own fiery 

r b t!n °° nrage - Besidee > divided most 

liberally not only the spoils, buteven his own property with 

his followers, and was at the same time quite affable per¬ 
mitting poligamy (as he himself had fifteen wives) and 
understanding it so perfectly to gain the respect and con- 
hdenee of his adherents, as to inspire them with his own 
aidor and contempt of danger, even unto death itself. He 
also assured his people that God had such pleasure in the 
killing of those who hate and persecute his religion and its 
believers, that one drop of blood spilt in its defense, or one 
single night spent in arms, was more meritorious than two 
months of fasting and praying; that he who fell in battle 
would enjoy the highest pleasure of Paradise-, and every 
wound received in defence or extension of his faith, would on 
the final Judgment-day have a perfume like musk, and shine 
like a jewel. Seventy-two of the most beautiful virgins who 
never grew old or fade-(Houris) would be the portion of 
every true believer in, and faithful adherent to his religion ; 
while the most pious and faithful ones would, besides, en- 
joy a felicity that no mortal tongue can pronounce! 


CHAPTER VJ. 

MOHAMMED AS PROPHET—HIS SUCCESS. 

Imagine the effect such promises must have had pro¬ 
nounced by such an enthusiast, from whose lips flowed the 
most charming and captivating eloquence ! His doctrines, 
moreover, were so congenial, and so well adapted to impul¬ 
sive, sensual Orientals and warlike nomades, that all who 



184 


MOII AMMEDANISM. 


heard him must also cherish him, while he must imspire 
them with his own enthusiasm in a manner as to make them 
irresistable. All these favorable circumstances combined 
conspire to explain his extra-ordinary success and rapid 
conquests. Mecca fell first; but more than that : all the 
conquered followed him as enthusiastic friends. The whole 
of Arabia was, next, soon traversed, and in a short time con¬ 
quered. In seven short years after his flight from Mecca 
he went with an army of 30,000 men into Syria, conquering 
wherever he went to; threatened even the King of Persia ; 
and dared to demand of the Greek emperor Heraclius to 
accept “ his only true and saving faith.” An unexpected 
and hastened denth—said to have been caused by poisened 
mutton administered by the hand of a Jewess—cut short 
his glorious career. His coffin is still shown at one of the 
mosques of Mecca, and thousands of pious pilgrims visit it 
yearly. 


CHAPTER VII. 

CALIPHS AND THE CALIPHATE. 

Under his successors—called Caliphs—his conquests were 
continued with great success in spite of their internal quar¬ 
rels on account of the succession. The religion of Moham¬ 
med was—by the aid of fire and the sword—in less than 
half a century extended over a very considerable portion of 
Asia and North Africa, and the descendants of its Prophet 
established even, in the following century, a Kingdom in 
Spain that surpassed all other European monarchies of 
those days in culture and splendor, and lasted until the end 



MOHAMMEDANISM. 


185 


of the Fifteenth century when Ferdinord of Arragon con¬ 
quered that Kingdom and its superb capitol, Grenada , and 
drove the Moors—as the Mohammedans in Spain were call¬ 
ed—out of the country. (See I Per. Jews, and Jud. 
chap. IX.) 

It redounds to the everlasting praise of these Moors that, 
as long as they were in possession of that country, and their 
rulers, many of whom were reowned for their wisdom 
and goodness, in power, Spain was in such a flourishing 
condition that it was called “ The Garden of Europe.” And 
as in industry, <fcc., so was it also a pattern of Culture and 
Learning. While all other countries of Europe were sunk 
into the ignorance and barbarism of “ The Dark Ages.” 
(See I, Per. Chirst, and Christ, chap. XXVIII,) was Moor¬ 
ish Spain the only country where Arts, Sciences and Cul¬ 
ture and Literature flourished. Their decline, as the de¬ 
cline of all Spain, dates from the conquests of Ferdinand 
and the power which the Ecclesiastics and the Inquisition 
gained under this bigoted King in unhappy Spain, which, 
by the agency of these and other causes, sunk from that 
day, lower and lower into utter ruin, so that in our days 
Spain is the poorest, least induatrious, least cultivated, but 
also the most bigoted, fanatical, ignorant and superstitious 
in every respect the most reduced , ruined country in all 
Europe. Further comment is unnecessary. (See also I, Per. 
Christ, and Christ chapt. XVIII.) 

It would detain us much too long were we to relate all the 
events from Mohammed down to the end of this (II.) Period. 
Suffice it, then, to state, that continued internal contentions, 
and the unfitness and weakness of some of the later Calephs 
brought their empire several times on the brink of ruin, and 
that, finally, Osmar , chief of the Seldjukian Turks , conquered 
that empire, raised, toward the end of the twelfth century 


186 


MOHAMMEDANISM. 


a new throne and a new dynasty and the ruins of the Cali¬ 
phate, became thus the founder of the present one, and gave 
even his name to the empire he established : Turkey, or The 
Ottomanic or Osmanic Porte. One of his descendants 
(Mohammed II.) conquered even Constantinople and made 
it his capital, thus ending The East Roman or Greek Em¬ 
pire (1453.) 

The religion Mah-ommed's , however, was by no means 
ended with the Caliphate ; on the contrary, it gained by the 
accession of the Turks , who were also Mohammedans , just 
in proportion as they were stronger and more energetic, than 
the old, weak and ofleminate Caliphate. Mussulmanic valor 
and fanaticism threatened even for several centuries Europe 
and its Chrisendom with more or less success. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE RELIGION. MOIIAMMEd’s. 

In concluding this article and with it our II. Period, I 
have but to add yet a few words as to the creed, dogmas, 
and doctrines of Mo.slemism or Mohammedanism. 

“The Holy Book” of the Mohammedans which contains 
the dogmas and doctrines of their religion, is called (The AT) 
Koran, which, as they believe, has been “ revealed ” unto 
Mohammed by the angel Gabriel\ and which is, therefore 
held in the utmost veneration by the true Mussulman. They 
have, besides this Koran, also a “Book of Tradition,” called 

The Soonah ,” which is held by them in almost equal ven¬ 
eration Mohammed taught a pure, undefiled Monotheism. 
“ There is but Om God, and Mohammed in his Prophet ” 
(or; “ Great is Allah, and Mahommed is his Prophet ”) is as 
fundamental a doctrine in Mahammcdanism as the belief in 



MOHAMMEDANISM. 


187 


its One Jehovah is in Judaism. (See I. Per., Jews and Ju 
daism, chapter, YL). Hetaught, further, as already in^ 
cated m chapter V., Immortality and a Future Existence 
with Future Reward and Punishment; further, that his re- 
hgion was the only true one. hence, also the best one, and 
the true Believer the best and happiest of men The 
rest of the doctrines, dogmas and practices are, more or less 
a mixture or imitation of Jewish and Christian dogmas, doc! 
lines and practices ; as, for instance, Circumscission (in 

«.» I, in t „ ao „ r . ' h f Wr 

tr ° m S “ K »‘* *0 °b.pte, I., Gen. 

17, 25.); Pilgrimages, Fasts &c. 

A proper Moslem doctrine, or at least one carried further 

that religion, more implicitly believed in and relied on 
lan in any other, is Fatalism with all its logical consequen¬ 
ces. It was their unbounded belief in this doctrine, and 
their consequent indifference to fate and even death itself 
that made them formerly, so valorous warriors, and so un- ' 
mindful to personal danger in battles; but which, in con 
nection with their belief in the superiority of their religion 
made them also so extremely fanatical and bigoted. Abra- 
ham, Moses and Jesus are to them “ Holy Men ” They be 
heve also in Angels (the angel Gabriel brought Mohammed 
not only nightly his “Divine Meesages,” but was also his 
guide in his visit to the (seven) Heavens. Poligamy is not 
only allowed here, on earth, but will even be practiced in 
Paradise. [See chapter, V.] 

Decidedly the best, and really a most commendable part 
in the Mohammedan religion, is the great value it puts and 
the strictness with which it insists upon, hospitality and 
deeds of chanty, which are therefore, practiced by the Ma- 


188 


MOHAMMEDANISM. 


liammedons almost without limits ; as also the most con¬ 
scientious observance of the most tender filial respects and 
duties. These latter, especially,are not only practised by them 
with a willingness, tenderness and scrupulousness towards 
parents seldom or never witnessed among Occidental nations, 
but are even extended to all aged persons, and by children 
and young persnos, even to all older individuals. In all these 
essential and great virtues, as also in the not less important 
ones of the strictest honesty and truthfulness and many 
others, the Mahommendens are very commendable and wor¬ 
thy patterns for both-Jews as well as Christians. But, alas ! 
they are also fully as bad as either of these, and fully their 
equals, if they do not excell even them yet, in —-fanaticism 
and bigotrg ! 


third period. 

From the Reformation to Our Own Time. 


i. JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE JEWS AND THE REFORMATION. 

The ^formation —this great event for all the nations of 
turope—had on the Jews, considered as a relrgious body, 
at the time of its occurrence no effect at all. For in those 
days of bigotry and fanaticism had the destructive force of 
intolerance and prejudices, not only arainged Christian 
against Christian, but also, and more yet, and separated en- 
tireiy and hostily, Jews and Christians. This separation, 
as just stated, was a total one ; not only religiously, but also 
politically and socially ; caused, as well by the peculiarities 
of the Jews, as, and maiuly, by the prejudices, intolerance 
and persecutions of the Christians against them. The Ref¬ 
ormation —being emphatically religious and Chiistian—did, 
consequently, not coneern the Jews. Ahd however eventful 
(as we shall see in the sequal) the Reformation in its Uni¬ 
versal consequences had become for the Jews also, it was, 
nevertheless, at the time of its occurrence, viewed, by Jews 
as well as by Christians, in its religious character only; and 
their mutual dislikes, hatred and prejudices restrained the 
Jews from all and every direct participation in it. As far 
as they are concerned, then, there is but very little to say of 
this great event; but the more of its consequences , which 
affecting everything and everybody, affected the Jews even 
stronger and more yet than the Christians themselves ; for 





190 


JEWS AND JUDAISM’ 


they affected them in a double manner ; objectively , or pos¬ 
itively and reciprocatively—in their different relations to 
their Christian fellow-citizens and theirs to them ; and sub¬ 
jectively, or as a religious body—as Jews. 


CHAPTER II. 

CONDITION OE THE JEWS BEFORE AND AFTER THE REFORMATION. 

As already stated (II. Per., Jews and Judaism chapter IX) 
the conditions of the Jews during the whole extent of the, 
so-called, “Dark Ages” and, in fact, as much yet during the 
next two centuries succeeding the Reformation, was pitiful 
in the utmost degree. Hated, persecuted, driven from coun¬ 
try to country, from city to city, and where tolerated, re¬ 
stricted in, almost deprived of, every human, religious as 
well as political right or its exercise ; denied almost every 
trade or means of life,with exception of a small barter, money 
and usuary ; crowded together in their “ Ghettoes ” (Jew- 
quarters) in cities, and almost refused the air they breathed: 
what interest could they feel in these religious differences, 
wrangles and quurrels of their hated and hating oppressers ? 
Thus this great event, The Reformation, passed on without 
any further affecting them than, perhaps, by a yet increased 
misery in consequence of the general sufferings whieh the 
religious and political agitation and the wars that followed 
it brought over them. 

Very different, however, we find their situation again 
when we pass a hundred or more years and arrive at the 
buddening Consequences of the Reformation, to which the 
sixteenth century gave so a painful birth, which the seven¬ 
teenth century nourished so sparingly, but which the eigh¬ 
teenth century fostered more carefully and successfully, and 




JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


191 


which our own nineteenth century displayes now in so bril¬ 
liant a lustre. The struggle of the Reformation, namely 

the varying fortune of both, Catholics and Protestants du¬ 
ring the eventful period of “The Wars of Thirty years ” 
and the exhaustion of all engagedin them when they finally 
ceased, had worn off much of that harshness, the prejudices 
bigotry and intolerance with whioh the Reformation had 
yet to contend ; but with which—truth compels us to state 
it also defiled itself; and which yet characterized the 
whole of the sixteenth century. But slow progress was yet 
made during the seventeenth century. . The first half of it 
was filled out with these dreadful wars in which almost ev¬ 
ery nation of Europe was more or less involved ; and its 
other half was scarcely sufficient for them to recover from 
the effects and devastations of these wars of its first half, 
which had all—Jews and Christians, Catholics and Protest¬ 
ants—exhausted. But in the eighteenth century we notice 
already the gleaming dawn of a brighter morning, of a glo¬ 
rious and hopeful day—the auspicious harbinger of the Glo- 
kious Consequences of the Reformation. 


CHAPTER IH. 

MENDELSOHN. 

It is in this gleaming dawn that we meet The Jewish Lu¬ 
ther the great Jewish Philosopher who, about that time, 
worked—quietly and still, but as effectually, beneficially and 
momentously on “his people,” as Luther and the other re¬ 
formers had, about two hundred years before him, but more 
noisily, passionately and violently worked on the Christian 
World. This great Jewish Philosopher and Reformer was 
—Moses Mcndelsolm. Born 1729 at Dessau, in Germany; 



102 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


of a poor Jewish schoolmaster, he received the instructions 
of his father in what little knowledge he had himself m Pie- 
brew and Talmud, studies, in which then consisted all the 
learning and culture of the Jews. These however, could 
not satisfy the thirst anu ardent zeal for knowledge of this 
talented Hebrew boy who, by his too hard application to 
his studies, brought on him a nervous fever which, in con¬ 
sequence of maltreatment, left him sickly and deformed for 
life Ilis father, being neither able to instruct nor to sup¬ 
port him any longer, brought him now to Berlin—carrying 
him on his own back the whole considerable distance thith¬ 
er. Here our young philosopher had for a long time to 
struggle with his poverty; but it was here also that he, as¬ 
sisted by valuable acquaintances, made so rapid progress in 
languages and philosophy that he soon became one of the 
most prominent German Savans of his days. It was, in 
particular, the genuine, warm-hearted friendship of G. K 
Lessing— the most influential and most liberal German 
scholar of the Eighteenth century and father of the new 
German Literature —that was of the greatest importance 
and benefit for Mendelsohn. Both these noble men and 
scholars—drawn toward one another by their sympathetic 
natures, and united by the sincerest and purest friendship, 
worked conjointly for the same great and noble cause: The 
destruction of prejudices and superstition, bigotry and 
fanatism by enlightening and better educating the people. 
To these great purposes they both , devoted their great tal¬ 
ents and all the energy of their fine minds. This noble 
spirit is manifested in, and shines from out all their writ¬ 
ings. Mendelsohn in particular, assisted by the sympathy, 
aid and influence of his generous friend, gave all his talents 
and zeal to the improvement of the mental and social con¬ 
dition of his oppressed co-religionists, , and was unwearied 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


193 


in his exertions to better both. His writings, which were 
quite numerous, had a most beneficial influence, not only on 
the Jews, but even on Christians. “ Phedron, or the Im¬ 
mortality of the Soul,” was his most renowned work that 
obtained the universal applause of Christians as well as of 
Jews. But in Maimonides’ great work “More Nebuchim ” 
(Guide for the Erring) which he thoroughly studied, gained 
his own mind that liberal turn which once so much distin¬ 
guished and characterized this famous Spanish-Jewish au¬ 
thor himself (See II. Per. Jews and Jud. chap. IX). This 
Liberalism Mendelsohn exhibited afterwards fully in his 
“Jerusalem”—a work written for a double purpose: First, 
as a defence of Judaism against the attacks from its adver- 
saiies; but next, and more especially, as an answer and a 
well-merited rebuke to Lavater —who often and zealotically 
importuned him to turn Christian. This, his “ Jerusalem,” 
was, however, variously, mostly very severely, critized and 
furiously attacked by zealotic Christians not only, but by 
bigoted Jews as well; as he himself had neither spared 
the j>rejudices of the one nor the other in it. For this work 
and its uncommon Liberalism were very much ahead of his 
time. 


CHAPTER IV. 

Mendelsohn’s [reformation and its effect on the jews. 

The period of Mendelsohn and of his liberal friend Les, 
sing is the commencement of a new and very important 
Epoch in German Literature—its Epoch of Regeneration. 
For it took from that time, and mainly through the instru¬ 
mentality of our two friends, Lessing and Mendelsohn, a 
most happy start in that Liberal Tendency as well as Sci¬ 
entific Erudition which so honorably characterizes it yet 




194 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


even this very day, and in which it certainly equals, if it 
does not excell, that of any nation. 

But besides his honorable share in the Restitution and 
the advancement of German Literature—Mendelsohn had 
also the immortal merit of having inaugurated those reforms 
and improvements of and in Judaism, which eventually 
caused his co-religionists to work out their own mental 
emancipation that finally brought about their social and 
political one also. And though prejudices, bigotry, intoler¬ 
ance and obstacles of all kinds and nature opposed his re¬ 
forms and reformatory labors—they left him undismayed 
and, weak and sickly as he was, he kept on courageously in 
his great and good work in spite of all the clamor of zea- 
lotic bigots—Christian ones no less than Jewish ones—un¬ 
less he was silenced by—Death only (Jan. 4, 1786.) Yet 
though mortal himself, his spirit— as manifested in his writ¬ 
ings and works—lived on and worked on, and still lives 
and works on. For ever since Mendelsohn there were 
quite a considerable number of eminent Jewish philosoph- 
ens, theologians and other highly educated Jews in influ¬ 
ential stations who, animated by the liberal spirit that 
inspired Mendelsohn and sustained him in his great work of 
reform, contributed greatly to foster and promote the work 
so happily commenced by him; who followed his example 
to enlighten and to liberalize the Jews and Judaism; so 
that at the present time the German Jews are beyond any 
contradiction not only the best educated, most liberal Jews 
in all Europe (and America, too,) but also in most every 
respect fully the equals of their Christian fellow-citizens . 
(Compare these with what I said, II. Per. Christ, and Chrisy. 
chapt. VII, in respect to that prophecy by Moses, Deutr. 
13, 15 and its fulfillment—which remarks refer mainly to 
the foregoing facts by which they are sustained and veryfied.) 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


1 95 


CHAPTER Y. 

THE EFFECTS OF MENDELSOHNS EEFOKHS ON TUB JEWS AND 
JUDAISM.—CONTINUATION. 

Bat if now, I won’t say one of the Ancient Jews but 
even a contemporary of Mendelsohn could come back to 
us—he would neither recognize them as, nor yet call them 

“ Jews ” an F more - Ifc ^ true, though, they believe still as 
steadfastly as ever in their old Monotheism, hold still—in 
spite of all the “pious zeal ” of the many Jews Missiona¬ 
ries, and even in spite of the bribe they offer, and the pre¬ 
mium they pay poor Jews to make them “willing” to be 
“ converted ”(!) to their old Traditions and old “Faith,” to 
their Old Testament , and I may, perhaps, even say to their 
Talmud and Messiah, and so on. But, then, it is not more 
in their old way and old spirit; not more with their old 
zealotic fanaticism and narrow-minded bigotry; but in a 
reformed manner, in a liberal spirit, with an enlightened, 
discriminating mind. The astonishing consequences of all 
these great changes are a more striking reform of Judaism 
than had been affected in any other religion, and a greater 
more signal progress of the Jews than of any denomination 
during the same period—the greatest epocn in the history 
(of the culture) of the Jews. The thousand and one little 
forms and peculiar ceremonies which once so strongly char¬ 
acterized the “ Jews ” and distinguished their religion have 
vanished, are now to a very great extent disregarded; and, 
by not a few of them entirely, ignored and neglected / have 
become, and are still more and faster becoming absolute. 
Hebrew, formerly their only study, as Hebrew-Literature 
their only culture, is now a strange and literally “dead” 
language to them, too, cultivated only by their theologians 
(rabbis), and superceeded by frequently a very respectable, 


196 


JEWS AND JUDAISM, 


acquaintance with modern German Literature. Even their 
once so highly venerated Talmud is now fast becoming “ a 
thing of the past” and an “ antiquated book” with them, 
only known to, as only yet studied by their rabbis, and even 
pretty liberally explained by a large majority of them, too. 
A “personal Messiah ”—once their greatest dogma and fond¬ 
est hope—is now scarcely anymore believed in, and still less 
hoped for, by any Jew; their political emancipation, equal¬ 
ity with other citizens and true Liberty for All —being all 
the “ Messiah” they believe in and hope for now. 

These enormous changes, these wonderful transformations 
of Judaism, inaugurated by Mendelsohn, but accomplished 
more and more ever since by liberal and highly educated 
Jews—although not so boisterous, and not followed by so 
bitter and bloody a struggle as the reform of Christendom 
by Luther and the other reformers of the sixteenth century 
—were yet much more thorough, consequent and liberal. 
And though they, too, are in essence but the consequences 
of this latter (See iii. Per. Chr. & Chr., chapt., xxi.) are yet 
as much more perfect and as different from that as the gen¬ 
eral culture and civilization of the eighteenth and nineteenth 
centuries are different from and superior to those of the six¬ 
teenth century. 

Not less a change, again, than in their religious, worked 
these reforms in the social and political life of the Jews. 
Even as late as the time of Mendelsohn not only every po¬ 
litical, but even every human right was yet denied them. 
Deprived, as we have seen above (chapter ii.), of, every other 
means to support life than a small barter, money and usury, 
they became—as they necessarily must—usurious and greedy 
for money, and then were hated and despised for being thus 
by the very ones whose injustice, persecutions, bigotry, and 

Y 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


197 


intolerance had made them so ! They were even, in some 
countries or districts, obliged to wear a badge in order to 
m ike them instantaneously known as Jews ! * 

But now—what a change ! 3sTow they are citizens—and 
enjoy (more or less yet, however, in different countries) also 
the rights of citizens. They live where they choose or can, 
and carry on any trade or business that they understand or 
like, and that will afford them a living ; they mix freely in 
any and every society, and are even not seldom found among 
the civic officers of a city or community, chosen by the cit¬ 
izens thereof themselves. They send their children to the 
public schools, their sons to the universities or other 
institutions of learning where they are educated and 
are educated and where they graduate, side by side, with 
the sons of other citizens. Their daughters are acceptable 
companions for, and find a welcome reception at the social, 
gatherings of their Christian friends and neighbors, and 
even inter-marriages are not more “an unheard-of thing.” f 


CHAPTER YI. 

EXCEPTIONS AND THEIR CAUSES. 

But when we, after all, must admit that these achieve¬ 
ments, these progress, these ameliorations of their political as 
well as of their religious states are not yet realities every¬ 
where ; that there are even in Germany yet some states or 
cities where their religious as well as social and political 


* A splendidly written atticle in “ The Atlantic lAonthly" of October, 1870, Our 
Isroditish Brethren,” by James Parton speaks with as much truth as feeling of 
the revolting injustice which the Jews have suffered, and in some countries are 
still suffering, at the hands of Christians. This article will well pay for its perusal. 

t These “ inter-marriages ” might, as far as the Jews are concerned, be much 
more frequent; for the Jews are, to-day, much less prejudiced and more liberal 
than Christians. But in most all parts of Europe—especially in those where the 
Church is quite influential—Christian bigotry and intolerance has prohibited such 
marriages by State Laws. 




198 


JEWS AND JUDAISM^ 


condition—or all of these—are much less favorable than de¬ 
picted above ; it must also be admitted that it is mainly in 
such states, cities, districts &c., which ure themselves not 
only politically, but also intellectually and religiously least 
advanced and least free ; or in such localities where Chris¬ 
tian fanaticism, bigotry and intolerance are still stronger, 
more tenacious, than even those of the Jews ; or, and main¬ 
ly, in states where clerical, combined with political and so¬ 
cial, prejudices and influences agitate against them—as for 
instance in Austria and Bavaria-and that, therefore,the short, 
comings of the Jews there, are to a very considerable extent 
attributable to these inimical causes, and not—or at least 
not so much, not altogether—to the faults of the Jews them¬ 
selves, what ever these may be. * 


CHAPTER VII. 


THE TRUE CAUSE OF THESE REFORMS. 

All these changes and reforms, as all the improvements 
even of and in Judaism, I hold—foreign as they ever may 
appear to them—to be but some of The Consequences of the 
Reformation of the sixteenth century, as repeatedly indica¬ 
ted in the foregoing chapters. For imperfect and inconse¬ 
quent as that Reformation evidently was, it was, neverthe¬ 
less, also salutary enough for the human mind to give it a 
better direction, a stronger impulse to combat and conquer 
fanaticism, bigotry and intolerance—the greatest evils man- 


* The consequences of the Reformation are, however, although latently vet so 
perceptably and irresietably working on our time and generation that such excen- 
tionable cases of bigotry, &c not only disappear daify, one by one, but that even 
C&tholic Countries feel their all-penetrating influence, and have to succumb to 
their lrresistable power, (See Per. Ill Chr. and Chr. chapt. XXI—XXII) It is they 
5 hat for . ce .d even priest-ridden, bigoted Austria, at the commence¬ 
ment of 1868, to proclaim religious and political equality for all the different 
ed C 18 /«f y f hat ~:favored by recent political events—transform- 

onefii lioife.’ lty yet the P ost mtolerant cm Pire into one of the most liberal 






JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


199 


kind ever was cursed with—to destroy ignorance—the pois¬ 
onous root of these and all other evils—and to sow in their 
place Tolerance and Enlightment , Common Seme and Lib- 
erism. And never had seed grown finer, never flowers blos¬ 
somed lovelier ! Yet it took more than a century, as we 
have seen, to root-out these pernicious prejudices (or “ to root 
them up ” only, I rather should say ; for they are not quite 
“rooted out” even yet). They were however, so much 
crippled and weakened and diminished by and through this 
Reformation, are still getting so much more lessened and 
vanquished by its CoNSEQUENCES-that we may so much more 
and confidently look and hope for their ultimate “rooting- 
out ” and destruction when we consider the immense pro¬ 
gress that the nations of Europe and this country have made 
in their religions, culture and civilization since this Refor¬ 
mation \ when we consider, that it was but its inherent spirit 
that moved Mendelsohn, Lessing and their cotemporary 
Apostles of Liberalism to engage in their reformations, and 
who, by their joint exertions and salutary influence, produced 
again the still more advanced, liberal and progressive spirit 
of their next generation and the nineteenth century. (See 
iii. Per., Chr. & Chr., chapt., xxi. xxii. and xxiii.) 

These conclusions, and my connecting the progress of the 
Jews and Judaism with the ( Christian —) Reformation of 
Luther—may, perhaps, to some of my readers, be as new 
as it may seem (to them) unwarantable, and they will, per¬ 
haps, deride and scorn them, call them “airy” and “vision¬ 
ary ” &c. Well! Let the blind ones defame and calumniate 
the light! It will no more prevent Truth from being Truth , 
than all their zeal and bigotry can Falsehood and Error 
change into anything else than Falsehood and Etror. 


200 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

CONTINUATION—FEANCE AND THE FEENCH JEWS. 

But that we have to thank the unprecedended progress, 
the general Liberalism, the universal tolerance, which are at 
once the blessing and the glory of our time, to the Refor¬ 
mation, to its benign spirit, its irrepressible consequences— 
is fully proved and demonstrated by the unmistakable and 
undeniable fact, that their most gratifying manifestations .* 
Progress, Liberalism and Tolerance—radiate clearest, 
strongest and fullest in—Protestant countries, while in 
Catholic ones—where this Reformation is still hated and 
ignored, its spirit denied, its great consequences strenuou s- 
ly opposed—they are yet more dim, weak and undeveloped. 
It is by no means an undue prejudice in favor of the one 
and dislike of the other of these two great divisions of 
Christianity that makes this assertion, but it is the unim¬ 
peachable record of “ the stubborn facts” of impartial His¬ 
tory. Let those who may still doubt or dispute this asser¬ 
tion look aiound them and notice what their own experi¬ 
ence can’t fail to teach them. Let them look at France , for 

instance, certainly the most intelligent, the most liberal of 

all Catholic countries. Yet this France is—in spite of her 
Rousseaus, her Yoltaies and her hosts of Liberals ; in spite 
even of her “ Great Revolution ” of’ 91 , which abolished 
all political, social and religious inequalities of her citizens ; 
in spite even of her “Code FTapoleon,” still the valid lawot 
the land that puts all creeds on an equal footing—France 
of to-day is yet—Catholic in spirit and in fact. But is 
this spirit prevailing there because Catholicism is the creed of 
the majority ? By no means ! But it is, because its unreformed 
spirtt (Ultramontanism) governs not only the clergy, and 
through them the uneducated, ignorant masses—but even the 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


201 


Government itself! It is an open secret that Louis Napoleon’s 
policy is most dangerously controled (at least most mis¬ 
chievously affected by Eugenia, and through her) by the 
ultramontane Catholic clergy. * It is also for that, and 
only for that reason that we find so ignorant and supersti¬ 
tious a peasantry in “ La Belle France !” 

For who does not know that the French are naturally 
one of the most gifted nations of Europe ? Yet how com¬ 
pares Catholic France with Protestant Prussia intellectually ? 
Public statistics of these two countries go to show that 
general education ,, instruction ,, and enlightmeut of the 
masses, especially of the peasantry, are eminently inferior 
in Fiance than in Prussia, f or Protestant Germany gener 
ally. True, it may be contended that France has as justly 
celebrated savans, philosophers, artists, &c. as any country, 
what we readily admit. These, however, are all without 
scarcely any exception (save some few ecclesiastics), oppos¬ 
ed to “ Ultramontanism ” and to the emperor’s yielding to 
it; but the bulk of the masses—the nation—especially 
those peasants remote from the larger cities—are much 
more illiterate, much more ignorant and superstitious, and 
far less educated and enlightened than the Protestant Ger¬ 
mans. The same relation exists again, and for a similar 
reason, between the Jews of these respective countries. But 
what is the cause of this again tha then spirit of the Refor- 

* Since these lines were penned Napoleon and Eugenia lost not only their in¬ 
fluence, but even their throne. But the truth and correctness of the above fact 
lose thereby nothing of their veracity. No; no more than the taking possession 
of Rome by the Italians, or the general opposition of Catholic Germany disprove 
the tendency of the Pope’s Syllabus or the character of the last (Eccumenical Coun¬ 
cil* 

+ The number of recruits 1869 in France who could neither read nor write was 
30,7 per cent, while in Prussia it was but 3,6. Excellent authorities ascribe the 
reverses of the French army in the present Franco-Prussian war to their inferior 
and the advantages of the Prussians to their superior intelligence and better 
educated soldiers. 




202 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


mation and its Consequences in the one, and the opposition 
to the Reformation and resistence to its Consequences in 
the other case ? J 


CHAPTER IX. 


THE JEWS OP (CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT) GERMANY. 

A similar state will be found again when we consider the 
different (Catholic or Protestant) sections of Germany, 
what certainly must go very far to sustain and corroborate 
what was said in that respect in the two preceeding chap¬ 
ters. The striking difference in the intelligence and edu¬ 
cation between the Prussians, Wurthembergians, Baden- 
sians —Protestant Germans, and the Austrians, Bavarians— 
emphatically Catholics —must be obvious to every one ac¬ 
quainted with or visiting these different portions of Germa¬ 
ny. Yea, more yet! This same telling difference will even 
be noticed, though, perhaps, not quit so strong, between 
the respective Catholic or Protestant divisions of one and 
the same state or parts of the state. But, “ As the Chris- 


t These facts are again a strong proof, clear confirmation and brilliant illustra¬ 
tion of what I said in the foregoing chapter XII, of the Reformation and its Con¬ 
sequences in connection with and as being the cause of all the striking reforms and 
improvements of Jews and Judaism in Germany. The French Jews, namely, 
gained inconsequence of the Revolution of ’91, perfect (political) equality and 
liberty with the rest of Frenchmen, while their German brethren were yet for 
more than half a century denied their emancipation; were merely struggling for 
it with hut slow and partial success. But of these French Jews 1 emancipation'may 
be said what is so often pretended—and, it seems by their repeated failures, not 
without truths—of the whole French people with respeet to a Republic ; they were 
not fit and educated enough for it. From their, immediately previous to the Rev¬ 
olution not only politically 3 but also religiously and intellectually degraded station, 
were they, by that Revolution, as it were by enchantment, at once raised to the 
fullest freedom without educational preparation and qualification; and the sur- 
roundiug influence of Ultramontancism in the nation and government most ever 
since, has kept them proportionately illiterate and ignorant and thus orthodox and 
unreformed. The German Jews (in Protestant parts) on the contrary, aided by the 
reformatory labors of Mendelsohn, his disciples and followers, the liberal spirit of 
the Reformation and the beneficial workings of its Consequences advanced—even 
while yet suffering political disabilities aud social disadvantages— rapid¬ 
ly m education and_ enlightenment, liberalism and tolerance to their 
present perfect equality, not only politically and religiously, but also 
intellectually and educationally, with the rest of citizens, who and the govern¬ 
ment—being also greatly advanced in Liberalism and Tolerance since the ‘‘French 
Revolution, „ perceiving the fitness of their Jewish-citizens for their perfect 
emancipation could not longer with stand their just claim for it, and granted it. 




JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


203 


tians so the Jews” is a generally accepted and—every¬ 
where proved true —proverb in Germany. And why should 
it not? It is only the natural, is but the logical conse¬ 
quence of the same causes. These Protestant states of Ger¬ 
many just named, treated, namely, their Jews long ago 
much better (or perhaps less unjust and intolerant?) than 
the Catholic ones, and endeavored in particular to educate 
and improve them mentally at the same time they were 
ameliorating their status politically and raising them so¬ 
cially. They have, then, as a logical consequence, the best 
educated and enlightened, the most liberal and reformed 
Jews; while Catholic Austria and Bavaria who oppressed 
and ill treated their Jews to within a very recent period the 
worst every way—intellectually and religiously, politically 
and socially—have, consequently, much less reformed, 
far less advanced, much more orthodox and bigoted Jews. 


CHAPTER X. 

A REMARK ON PRUSSIA THAT IS ALSO MEANT FOR PROTESTANTS. 

ELSEWHERE. 

The praise that I bestowed in the preceeding chapter on 
Prussia and Protestentism, I have now, however, to quali¬ 
fy some; for it was, in respect to Prussia, true and meant 
only of her former, but not of her present rulers and their 
immediate predecessors. This, however, can not only be 
no argument against my above assertions, nor less against 
the Reformation and its Glorious Consequences , but is, on 
the contrary, an argument in their favor, in as much as it 
confines the benefits of the Reformation to where it is gen¬ 
uine, truly understood and judiciously developed—where 
the salutary eflects of its glorious Consequences are not op- 



204 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


posed, but furthered and aided. It shows also that the 
Reformation loses all its high value when its true spirit is 
lost, or falsified and counterfeited ; that even its wholesome 
Consequences cease to be that blessing that they never fail 
to be where they are the result of the genuine spirit of the 
Reformation. But where these irremissable conditions are 
wanting—Protestantism with its Reformation is as poor an 
article as Catholicism without it. For then—Liberalism, 
Tolerance, Enlightenment and all the blessed Consequences 
of the Reformation (See III, Per. Chr. & Chr. chap. XXI 
and XXII) are as much dreaded and oppressed by the one, 
as they are hated and prescribed by the other. (A lesson, 
that needs well to be remembered by Americans, too !) 

The former governments and rulers of Prussia, those at 
the end of the last and at the commencement of this cen¬ 
tury, were real and genuine Protestant ones; consequently 
the Intelligence , Education , Liberaism and Tolerance of the 
Prussians, rulers and people, progressed rapidly. But the 
present and last rulers and their governments were and are 
but counterfeit Protestant ones; therefore, Education^Liheral- 
ism and Tolerance languish now in Prussia. The cause of 
this deplorable retrogation is a double one 1 —political and 
religious : the JVobles and the Clergy. The former are to a 
very considerable extent perhaps the most aristocratic, ar¬ 
rogant liberty-hating nobles in all Germany, would like to 
see, and stsive as best they can, to keep their 44 subjects ” in 
their old feudal bondages. These, and more especially those 
in higher stations, are 44 pietisticthat is to say, they are 
adherents to that 44 new school of Protestant theology ” 
that seeks 44 piety ” in 44 Mysticism,” in literal adherencs to 
44 Traditions,” religious formalism,” in short, in the strict¬ 
est Orthodoxy of 44 Faith” and 44 Belief;”—(whence the 

Z 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


205 


name “Pietism” and “Pietesten,) something like “Puri¬ 
tanism,” and both—nobles and clergy, having a hindered 
aim and interest, sustain each other, join hands in their 
influence over the King and his government. And being 
the counsellors of the one, and holding the other in their 
hands and grasps—they effectually oppose every reform, 
progress and liberalism in State and Church, religion and 
education. How long they will yet be able to do it—de¬ 
pends entirely on future events and conditions of Europe ; 
more especially of Germany. For the present, however, and 
as long as their reactionary influence will be controling the 
government as well as the pulpit * and all educational in¬ 
stitutions, from the public schools to the universities, their 
influence cannot be otherwise than extreemly pernicious. 


CHAPTER XI. 

THE JEWS IX OTHER PARTS OF EUROPE. 

Similar results respecting the Jews we find again in other 
parts of Europe. In Poland and Russia—The Greek Church, 
although born of opposition to Rome, is neither any better, 
nor any more liberal than, because as unreformed as the Ro¬ 
man Catholic Church—they share in the general ignorance, 
fanaticism and bigotry of the people there, and are, besides, 
not only politically oppressed, but also religiously persecu¬ 
ted. This will, probably, last as long as the government 
persists in its intolerant policy towards all its non-Greek sub¬ 
jects, uses all its formidable power to proselitize them, and 
thus qvi&sy forces them to embrace the Greek faith. This is 
more especially the case in regard to the Jews there, and it 


* A prominent pastor of Berlin—one standing in high favor with the court and 
having great influence on the government—dared, not long since, preach “ that 
the sun move around the earth —for the Holy Bible ” says it ? 




206 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


seems that even the entercession in their behalf of the Pres¬ 
ident of these United States will not prevent their tyrani- 
eal persecutions by the Czar. 

But the most striking instance of the correction of my 
above remarks (chapter vii. If.) offers Italy. Formerly, un¬ 
der the yet divided Italy—when and where Catholicism and 
the Jesuits and other ecclesiastics ruled supreme in all its 
sections—the Jews, of course, like all the rest of the citizens, 
were ignorant, bigoted and—oppressed. Their condition 
religiously and intellectually was about as miserable, as it 
was horrible politically. But now, under the “ United 
Kingdom ” and the more liberal spirit that characterizes it, 
their conditions in all directions were improved and are still 
more improving with those of other citizens. In the “ Papal 
States, ” however,—the quint essence of Catholicism —they 
are still in the old, miserable, awful status quo a?ite Refor¬ 
mation and all the horrors of “ The Dark Ages ! ” (Mordara 
case.) In Holland, Belgium, England, Scandinavia and 
Danemark their conditions is politically much improved • 
yet religiously and intellectually they have there not as 
much improved, are not as advanced and reformed, as lib 
oral, as are the German Jews under similar circumstances 
and in equally advantageous political situations. For this 
there are, however, other more local causes. 


CHAPTER XII. 

THE JEWS OP AMERICA. 

There are now only left yet the Jews of these United States 
to speak of. But it will be found much more difficult to 
thus sp..uk of and classify them than the Jews of Europe. 



JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


207 


Not, however, because here they are citizens, like all the 
rest, and that all American citizens are equal before the 
law in their rights and their benefits ; but for quite a differ¬ 
ent reason. We have seen in the preceeding chapters, namely, 
what a vast difference there was, or still is, in the social, po¬ 
litical, and hence in the intellectual and religious condition 
of the Jews indifferent countries or sections of Europe ; 
but we were, at least, able to speak of them in general 
terms; yet in terms which were, nevertheless, applicable to 
and true to all of them, at least of the great majorities in 
every one of these respective countries. Such, however, is 
not the case, and cannot be done with the Jews of America; 
in as much as these are mixed from all those different coun¬ 
tries of Europe, and, naturally, have either all their advan- 
tages, or all their defects. And though they are all Jews— 
yet what an enormous difference is there between Jew and 
Jew of America. Let us take the Jews of the city of New 
York as an instance—pretty fair representatives of the 


Jews and Judaism of America. Can any one speak of 
them as he might speak of the Jews of France and Prussia , 
or of those of Austria and Wurttemberg ? By no means ! 
We need but go to their different places of worship in that 
city to become at once convinced of their unparalleled dif¬ 
ference, At “ The Temple ” (Emanuel), for instance, or 
the Synagogue of the most advanced and reformed (Ger¬ 
man) Jews, we find the “Reformed Service,” consisting 
merely of a few “ select prayers ” yet fewer “ ceremonies,” 
of fine singing by a well conducted choir, accompanied by 
the strains of a splendid organ; of excellent preaching, so lib¬ 
eral, that it would many a Christian “ Divine ” do good 
to “go to hear and do likewise.” In short, the whole 
“Service ” is of a style and conducted in a manner not to 
be excelled by any of the numerous Christian Denomina 


208 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


tions of that city, Plymouth Church of Brooklyn with H. 
W. Beecher even not excepted. 

But if we go from there to some of the, so-called, Or¬ 
thodox (though also German) Synagogues—what a change! 
Here we would find not only the whole “ Service ” (num¬ 
ber and character of prayers, forms, ceremonies, &c., &c.) 
but also—the congregation —as you might, perhaps, have 
found 50 or more years ago the fathers of these same"Jews 
of “ The Temple ” at their old Synagogues in “ The Father- 
land.” But there is now a difference as great, if not great¬ 
er, between these Jewish congregations, as between a Ro¬ 
man Catholic and a Unitarian “Service.” And as be¬ 
tween their worship, so is also a difference in their respec¬ 
tive “Faith” and “ Belief.” And still we have not quite 
reached the other extreem yet! We must go and witness 
the “Service” at one of the Rolnish Synagogues ” to reach 
that! Certainly no one who ever saw the Jews at “ The 
Tenqple,” or even at some of the better class of the “ Or¬ 
thodox ” (German) Synagogues, * would ever dream of 
being at a “Jewish Service” when at one of these “rol¬ 
nish Synagogues ! The Jews who attend at “ the Temple ” 
are, beyond dispute, as intelligent, as enlightened, as ad¬ 
vanced, as well educated, and withal as “ respectable,” as 
are the members of any “ Church,” or the devotees of any 
“Meeting” (and some of their “ Ministers ” too,) in that 
city. Yet who would be fanatic or—fool enough to pre¬ 
tend such of every “Jewish Congregation ” there! It 
would, no doubt, be as stupied and foolish, as odd and fa¬ 
natical a pretension. 

* For even these are again of a great variety and of all grades. Some of them 
have still the old, traditional “ Minhog Aashkenas (German Ritual) and are all, 
but more or less, “ Orthodoxwhile others have adopted the (Reformed) Min hog 
America. 



JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


209 


CHAPTER XIII. 

AN UNFAIRNESS OF AMERICANS TOWARDS JEWS. 

And yet we generally find Americans—and even leading 
men and editors of else radical, liberal Journals—speak in 
any and every case of “ Jews ” without any discrimination 
, whatever. This, certainly, is as wrong, as “ stupid and fool¬ 
ish, odd and fanatical ” as the other case would be. But it 
is more than that ; it is also a gross injustice against that 
large, better class of Jews—an injustice of which these, 
justly complain. There is, however, as in every Christian 
land (See I Per. Jew & Jud., chapt. V.; II. Per. chapt. IX) 
so in these United States, this “ Land of the Free {?) ”— 
yet a considerable amount of prejudices against the “Jews” 
mainly some remnant of the “old leaven,” on account of 
not knowing them rightly, and of not discriminating fairly 
between them as between all classes of men, or as between 
the members of other demoninations—as prejudices and in¬ 
tolerance are ever blind. At any rate such a prejudiced, 
indiscriminate “ Verdict of guilty ” against a whole race 
of men, based solely on bigotry and intolerance, is certainly 
as unjust, as injurious to that better class of Jews, is, there¬ 
fore, but a shame and exprobation for those who nourish 
such prejudices and act under their influence; but withal 
unworthy and antagonistic to the lofty and liberal eharac- 
acter that distinguishes the true American. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

A COMPARISON AND A LESSON. 

The case of the Jews has a good many analogies with 
that of the “ Niggers ”—in this country, and the long agi¬ 
tation of the “ Negro-question ” frequently called up in 



210 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


my mind many a “reminiscence of my own experience in 
my younger days in the old “ Fatherland ” It was, as I have 
shown in the preceeding pages, and I think conclusively, to 
a very great extent the injustice, prejudices and persecu¬ 
tions of the Christians against the Jews, their denying them 
every right, and restricting them to money, barter and usu¬ 
ry for their support of life, <fcc., that made them much as 
they were, some still are; and it was, or is, just as impossi¬ 
ble for them to have been or to be otherwise, to shake oft 
the effects of their treatment at the hands of the Christians 
and become, all at once, what they ought to be, and certain¬ 
ly wTll be— in time ; as it is impossible for the somewhat 
similarly treated Negroes to become, all at once and fully, 
the equals of whites without—being educated, to it. As it 
was the bigoted, cruel treatment of the Jews on part of the 
Christians that made the Jews— the Jews as they icere ;— 
so it was Slavery that made the Negroes—the Negroes as 
they are. Without here entering on the much disputed 

question whether these are, or are not, “ an inferior race ”_ 

they are most certainly human beings. What, then, they 
need first of all, and what they have the greatest right to 
ask is— Justice— a fair chance and education. And thus 
far that most instructive history of the Jews may furnish in¬ 
structive and valuable lessons to both, our religious as well 
as our political intolerants and fanatics. For the Jews, as 
their history abundantly prooves, from those portions of 
The Old WbrlH where the prejudices and injustices of the 
Christians against them had been least and ceased soonest 
aie in average, mentally, morally, religiously, everyway, 
fully the equals of their Christians fellow-citizens—while 
those from other parts—where their treatment was worst, 
their oppression hardest and lasting longest, need, ere they 
can attain to a full equality with their more favored co-re- 


JEWS AND JUDAISM. 


211 


ligionista, as well as better educated Christians, most of all 
—justice, education and enlightenment; just as the Church 
(Protestant no less than Catholic), the State (government) 
and all citizens and classes need it there. But it is only the 
Reformation, or rather its inherent spirit and benefits as 
manifested in its Great Consequences (See iii. Per. Christ, 
& Christ, chap, xxi and xxii) that can, and inevitably will 
bring it to all—Jews and Christians, and even to nobles, 
princes and clergymen ! 

“The JYew York Herald ” of Nov. 5th, 1869 announces 
that rabbis of the principle cities of the United States held 
a conference at Philadelphia and adapted resolutions of 
which that Journal says, “And now this Philadelphia 
Conference attests, like the recent conference of Israelites 
in Germany, the singular fact, that Jews are in fuller sym¬ 
pathy with the modern ideas of reform and progress than 
the ultramontanists of Europe, who it would seem, haye in¬ 
duced the Bishop of Rome and head of the Christian 
Church to hold an (Ecumenical Council for the express pur¬ 
pose of opposing all such ideas! But “The Herald ” is, 
as is his wont, rather unjust and partial in its reports, or 
rather in its allusion to Catholics alone, and I would like to 
ask its editor, “ And is the purpose of opposing all such 
ideas ” restricted to “ the ultramontarists of Europe ” and 
Jo the “ (Ecumenical Council ?” Manifest the “Evangeli¬ 
cal Orthodox” and “Pious Puritans” of America-—or 
their confrere, the fanatical “Pietists” of Europe not as 
strong a “ purpose to oppose all such ideas ?” This very 
“ Heralds ” own and frequent reports of the various “ Con¬ 
ferences, &c., of Evangelical Orthodox” bodies, of their 
“ Resolutions ” and actions respect to that momentous, “The 
Bible in Public Schools—Question,” &c., &c., will best 
and sufficiently answer my questions. 


2. CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


--© - ■ - 

CHAPTER I. 

CHRISTIANITY AS IT WAS BEFORE THE REFORMATION.—EM¬ 
PEROR HENRY IV., AND POPE GREGORY VII. 

In speaking of Christianity before the Reformation (in 
the foregoing II. Period) we have seen the Bishop of Rome 
growing in influence, power and arrogance, until the Popes, 
(as they were afterwards called) by a continuously ambi¬ 
tious policy, impudent claims and very condemnable means, 
had made themselves not only the spiritual heads of all 
Chrisendom , but also the only real sovereigns of Europe. 
Pretending to be “ Vicegerent ” of Christ on earth, they 
aspired also to be the sovereigns of Kings and Emperors , 
and claimed, that these could hold their kingdoms and em¬ 
pires, “ which were all Christ’s ”—only by the sanction of 
his “ Vice Regent ,” and only in fee of the Church 1” The 
sovereigns of Europe refusing to acknowledge these impu¬ 
dent claims, a long struggle between some of them and the 
Pope ensued ; especially between the latter and the emperor 
of Germany who claimed Italy. The cunning of Hildebrant , 
Pope Gregory VII,, gained a decisive victory over Henry 
IV, emperor of Germany ; although this monarch, had he 
been more valorous and enterprising, less vascilating and 
more worthy his throne, might have just as easily and sig¬ 
nally triumphed over his proud antagonist. For all Italy, 
tired of the arrogance of the Pope, looked to him as a de¬ 
liverer, received him joyously and was ready to sustain him. 
But he was wanting in courage and energy, desired a recon- 
cilliation, and submitted to a most shamful treatment to 
gain it. 

A A 




OHRJSTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY'. 


213 


CHAPTER IL 

CORRUPTION OF THE CHURCH AND THE CLERGY. 

But this victory, although it made the Pope the undis¬ 
puted master m all (Occidental) Christendom from then to 
the Reformation was by no means a benefit or gain for 
Christianity or (the Catholic) Religion. We have (ii Per. 
Chr. & Chr. chap, xxviii,) already seen how very much the 
Church had deviated from the Primitive Christians in doc¬ 
trines and form not only, but also in spirit, simplicity and 
purity$ that the ambitious aspirations and grasping policy 
of the Popec although successful—did not, as they could 
not, contribute any to the interest of the religion; that, on 
the contrary, just in proportion as the Popes succeeded in 
their ambitious schemes, and the Church gained in influ¬ 
ence and power—religion and Christianity degenerated. 
From Gregory VII. (1073) to Leo X. (1521) was the most 
brilliant period of Popdom; but—not of Christianity. Po- 
pal authorty never was greater; but the Church never so 
corrupt, the clergy never so profligate, Christianity never so 
degenerate as then. And the Popes—instead of stemming 
and correcting this corruption—favored and took advan¬ 
tage of it. It was not, however, that they were ignorant 
of, or that no voice was raised against ^his general corrup¬ 
tion and degeneration; but that it was not heeded at Rome; 
not that good and bold men did not loudly complain of it, 
did not preach and even try reforms, but that it was too dan¬ 
gerous to undertake, and yet useless to attempt them. For 
the Popes and the Church had become so powerful as to 
stifle even the most urgent, just and reasonable demands 
for, and they and the clergy so degenerate and corrupt as 
to prevent every honest attempt at reform. They even per¬ 
secuted those few yet unoorrupted, good and honest men 


214 


CHEISTIANS AND CHEISTIANITY. 


who dared ask for or attempt reform, even unto death! Such 
was the case with Arnold of Brescia, (1165,) P. Waldus 
(1170), J. Wickleff, (1386), J. Hues and Hieronimus of Pra¬ 
gue, (1426), Gironimo Savonarola (1493), and countless 
others. These “Martyrs of Truth” and Consciousness sever¬ 
ally opposed as well the corruptions and false doctrines 
of the Church, as the usurped power and assumed preten¬ 
sions of the Popes; but they were also, all of them, fierce - 
ly persecuted by both—Popes and Church—accused of 
heresey, and—(all but Wickleff who died) executed as 
Heretic,s (See ii. Per. Chi*. & Chr. chap, xviii, xxviii—iii. 
Per. chap, xviii.) 


CHAPTER 3U. 

INDULGENCES. 

Their sad fate had, however, no discouraging effect on 
the bold Augustin-monk Martin Luther who, by his un¬ 
dismayed courage and daring deeds, inaugurated that great 
event that threatened the Pope with the loss of his whole 
usurped power, and finally cost him one half of Europe: 
The ^Reformation . The immediate cause of this great event 
werfc the Indulgences. These were, namely, Popal letters 
of remittence of sins, or at least of all their consequences— 
and which the Pope, or his agents and creatures for him, sold 

POE MONEY. 

The so-called Popal States were, namely, much too small 
to defray the expenses of the luxurious, extravagant and 
profligate Popal Court. The pomp-loving, Leo X. wished 
to finish the superb Church of St. Peter; but his wars (!) 
%nd his extreem extravagance had exhausted all his means. 
New ways had, therefore, to be found to replenish his 




CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


215 


empty tereasnry, and to carry out his great plans. He chose 
Indulgences. These were neither new, nor of his own in 
vention; for they had been used before, but never in so 
grand a scale; had been tried by former Popes,but nev^r been 
offered in so revolting a manner. Tetzel, a Dominican friar, 
sold them in Germany everywhere, even in taverns (!) of all 
sorts, and at any priee 5 for sins already committed, as well 
as for such yet intended to be committed. • He praised his 
wares up by saying, Tauntingly and temptingly : 

* “As soon as In my box the money rings 

The soul from crat the Purgatory springs!“ 


CHAPTER IV, 

MARTIN LUTHER AND THE REFORMATION. 

Martin Luther , an Augustin-monk and a professor at the 
university of Wittenberg , after having for some time preached 
against the abuse of Indulgences^ and having been accused 
for it by Tetzel of being a heretic , posted (October 80,1517) 
on the Church-gates of the Castle of Wittenberg , (according 
to a custom of those times,), his famous 95 Theses —in an¬ 
swer to and in defence of this accusation—challenging Tetzel 
to disprove them. Thus commenced those controversies 
between the learned of the land and of those times which, 
finally, resulted into The reformation. 


* A fanny story of this fellows audacity and the wickedness of his business it 
told in Germany. A cute Individual demanded Indulgences of him “ for a big 
sin he intended to commit.” Tetzel , who understood his business well, deman¬ 
ded a “ big price.” It was paid, however, and the Indulgences handed to the 
“ Mg sinner''' te bo. But no sooner had this individual hold of his Indulgence* 
that were to “ absolve ” him of his sin—than he snatched the well-fllled money¬ 
box from the vender qf Indulgence *—declaring at the same time that that was the 
big pin ho intended to commit t 




216 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER Y. 

MARTIN LUTHER AND THE REFORMATION.—(CONTINUATION.) 

It can, of course, not well be expected that I should give 
in this little volume a full or lengthy history of this import¬ 
ant and interesting event. A mere outline of it must suffice. 

Luther was summoned to Rome to defend himself and his 
acts. But his influential and circumspect friend, Frederic , 
Eleetor of Saxony and surnamed “ The Wise” knowing the 
danger for his cherished professor (for Wittenberg, now 
Prussian, belonged then to Saxony), if he were *to go to 
Rome , prevented it and effected, that Luther was permitted 
to appear and plead before the Imperial Diet held at Worms. 
Courageous, and strong in his own conviction as he was, he 
went there in spite of all the entreaties of his warning friends 
and their endeavors to prevent his going there, and made a 
strong defence, and a bold one, too, ( 1521 .) He was, never¬ 
theless, declared in ban ; although permitted to depart un¬ 
harmed. His active friend Frederic interfered again. He 
sent secretly a troop of horsemen who captured him, and 
brought him, disguised, to the Castle of Wartburg where 
he, for almost a year, lived under the preudo of a young 
gentleman by the name of •* Georpe.” Luther was by no 
means discouraged, nor idle at The Wartburg. He trans¬ 
lated The New Testament into German, and wrote also his 
“ Short Catechism.” Previous to this, and while yet profes¬ 
sor at Wittenberg, he was bold enough, because his doc¬ 
trines had by the university of Paris (the famous Sarbonne) 
and others, been condemned as “ heretical ” and his writings 
burned—to burn the Papal Decree, containing the Pope’s 
Bull excommunicating him, with “The Decretals ” [Decbr, 
10 , 1520 ], to preach next day a sermon in justification of 
these and other acts of his, and to declare, “ It would only 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


217 


have been the better if he could have burned the Pope with 
ins Bull.” Thus he renounced at once, publicly and boldly 
Rome, its Pope and its Church ! ’ 


CHAPTER VI. 

LUTHER, HENRY VIII., AND THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 

A tremendous agitation followed. Yet it is rather singu¬ 
lar that, in spite of all the irritation and commotion that 
his Reformation caused in Europe, and especially in Ger¬ 
many , the author of all this excitement—Luther—remained 
of all the cotemporary reformers of that great time, most 
Catholic—i. c. nearest the Church of Rome in his views, 
tenets, doctrines and reforms ; that he changed less in, and 
accepted more of, the Roman Catholic Church and “Faith” 
than any of his contemporary reformers, with the exception 
of the reformer of the Church of England. But, then, it is 
well known that Henry Vni. of England was, at first, one 
of the stanchest defenders of Rome and its Pope, and the 
strongest opponent of Luther, against whom and his Refor¬ 
mation he even wrote ; for which servto and fidelity the 
Pope rewarded him with the title (still claimed and used by 
the sovereigns of England of “Defender of The Faith.” It 
was but when the Pope, some time after wards, opposed his di¬ 
vorce from his first queen that Henry renounced Rome, estad- 
lished The Church of England, madeit independent of Rome, 
and himself its head. The few reforms in that Church which 
he effected were, therefore, mainly reforms in the govern¬ 
ment of the Church—were, then, more of a political than a 
dogmatical character—as, in fact, political and not dogmat¬ 
ical differences called it into life. This explains also the still 
existing afimity betwen the English, so-called Episcopal or 



218 


CHEISTSAISB AND CHEISTIANITY. 


High Church , and that of Home ; an affinity which is the 
cause of the present momentous difficulties— e< Ritualism 
in that Church. 


CHAPTER VXL 
luthee’s docteines. 

The Reformation Luther's, however, was, in spite of his 
Catholic bias, of quite a different nature. It was founded 
on doctrinal and dogmaticical differences, hence directed 
against the Pope his usurped power and arrogant assumptions. 
He made, then, not so much the government of the Church 
(aside from the rejection of the Pope and his power), as her 
teachings, her dogmas and doctrines, the objects of his re¬ 
forms, and the Bible their basis and that of his creed.; claim¬ 
ing at the same time also Freedom of Conscience and “ The 
Right of Private Judgment ” in matters of “ Faith ” for ev¬ 
ery body ; a claim, however, which neither he himself nor 
any body else at his time, understood fully and rightly ; 
nor less yet did he or any other of the great reformers of his 
time reform in the spirit of, and in accordance with, these 
great and essential principles* For they, as well as he him : 
self, were yet too much imbued with Catholicism, had yet 
too much reverence for her teachings, under the influence of 
which they had lived too long to free t&eir mind, at once, 
from the sway they had gained over it, were thus governed 
yet by the bent and training their own mind had received 
from them, and, in the whole, were yet too much the slaves of 
their own prejudices and those of the century they lived in, 
to comprehend these gre&t principles fully, They wanted, 
then,themselves yet too much that enlightenment and freedom 
from every bias, that elevation of mind requisite to reform 



CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


219 


rightly and in the true spirit Luther especially, as already 
stated, m spite of all the commotion attending, or resulting 
ft om, his Reformation , had in his own views and reforms, 
m no essential dogma,and,in the whole, varied in nothing very 
materially from Rome,with the sole exception of his“ 'Freedom 
of Conscience ” and “ Private Judgment” theory or principle ; 
just the one which he neither understood rightly, nor less 
practiced himself. 

In his views of the Eucharist he did not Aary any from 
that of Rome, whose dogma of “ Transsubstantiation ” he 
also accepted, at last in spirit and in fact, if not in form / 34 
Lutheranism eneourages even yet the “ Confession of sins 
though but privately and voluntarily, instead of to the 
priest and obligatory as Catholicism requiies. It uses also, 
like this, “Conserated Waffers” in the administration of the 
Lord s Supper .” It holds also strictly to Luther’s doctrine 
of “ Justification in Faith.” In regard to “ The Trinity ” 
and to Jesus Christ it follows, as Luther himself did, the 
teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on these points. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

LUTHERANISM AND LUTHERANS. 

The main doctrines of the Lutheran Church (Lutheran¬ 
ism) are comprised in “The Confession of Augsburg ” (1529) 
“ The Articles of Smalkalden” (1580) and “TheForm of 
Concord” (1580), which together form the “Articles of 
Creed” of the Lutheran Church , to which this held for the 
last 300 years with great tenacity, even bigotry. And 
though there is,on the one hand,more freedom and Liberalism 
demanded by, and now partially granted to its clergy; there 

* This shows again the correctness of what I just stated of Luther and his re- 
forms, and how Imperfectly he understood himself yet and his Reformation. For 
what is his “ Co-substantiation.” In fact, else, but the Roman Catholic “ Trans- 
substantiation ? Is the one lees "mysterious” or objectionable than the other ? 





220 


©HRIST1ANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


exists yet also, on the other hand, much opposition to such, 
as in fact to all and any, “ innovations ” by the “ Orthodox” 
portion of that Church. There is, therefore, especially in 
Germany, at the present time quite a conflict between the 
“ Orthodox ” and “ Liberals ” of that Church; not restrict¬ 
ed to its clergy merely, but between its layman as well. 
The “Orthodox” hold not only most strictly to all the 
doctrines taught by Luther; but also to all the “ usages ,” 
the above sources , and “ traditions ” of that Church, and 
are, besides, strongly imbued with “ Mysticism ”—called in 
Germany “ Pietism,” as those given to it “ Pietisten.” They 
are very sanctimonious, bigoted and intolerant, and for Ger¬ 
many, what. “ Puritanism ” and the “ Puritans ” are for 
America- (See above Jews and Jud. chap. X.) They 
claim, like these, the greatest “piety ” and rightousness, to 
be the only “genuine Orthodox”—but show manifestly 
only the greatest fanaticism and intolerance. They, again 
like the “ Puritans,” are very eager for power generally, and 
for the greatest influence with, and then through, the gov¬ 
ernment in particular, and to regulate, with its assistance, 
the religious affairs—not of their Church alone, but, if they 
can, of the whole country-according to their own “pietistic” 
notions in what they have an advantage $ at,happily, our ‘Pu¬ 
ritans ’ only much desire—in as much as ihe Church and the 
State are there united. They declare “ Faith ” and (their) 
Church paramount, but Science, Education and everything 
else subordinate to, and to be “ regulated ” by them. The 
Liberals, on the contrary, hold “ Works” superior to “ Faith ;” 
consult not only “ authorized ” doctrines, dogmas, usages and 
traditions, but also History, Science, Reason and—their own 
Judgment in forming and making up their Church—as do 
the Liberals of any creed and country. 

BB 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


221 


CHAPTER IX. ' 

LUTHER, MELANCHTON AND ZWINGLIUS. 

A fathful and very able co-worker Luther’s was Phillipp 
Melanchton, the author of “ The Confessions of Augsburg” 
Also at the same time that Luther was preaching and writ¬ 
ing so boldly in Northern Germany against Indulgences 
and other abuses, were the same as strongly attacked in 
Southern Germany by Ulrich Zwinglius, a clergyman of 
Zuerich, in Switzerland. And yet—how characteristic of 
their time and the circumscribed means of communication 
in it ?—neither of these great reformers who labored so ef¬ 
fectually on their time and contemporaries, had heard any¬ 
thing of the other’s doings for some considerable time. The 
deplorable oonsequences of this was the existance of nu¬ 
merous differences between them when they finally did 
hear of each other. These consisted more especially in their 
respective views of a Transsubstantiation,” the veneration of 
Images, and some other points. Zwinglius being generally 
more independent and advanced in his views, and for more 
thorough reforms than Luther. To do away with these dif¬ 
ferences, a disputation was arranged to take place at Mar¬ 
burg (1529) between Zwinglius on the one, and Luther and 
Melanchton on the other hand. And though the hopes and 
expectations of this personal meeting were not fully real¬ 
ized, they were not altogether fruitless either, in as much as 
Fourteen points were settled and accepted by both par¬ 
ties. An entire understanding on all points in dispute was 
prevented mainly by Luther’s obstinacy and violence of temp¬ 
er ;—a failure, that worked most mischievously yet after 
the death of the participants in this disputations. 


CHRISTIANS ANP CHRISTIANITY. 


m 


CHAPTER X. 

JOHN CALVIN. 

Zwinglim died two years afterwards, and the work which 
ho had so ably and fearlessly commenced was continued by 
John Calvin of Geneva. He was a very able and energetic 
man ; but much too obstinate, bigoted and fanatical for a 
reformer. In consequence of his obstinacy and bigotry, and 
Luther's unyielding spirit, a most mischievous split —and 
therefrom jealousies and hatred between these two chiefs of 
the Reformation and their respective adherents—ensued that 
ciippled the better progress and happier development of the 
Reformation, prevented the unity, weakened the strength 
and lessened the harmonious actions of all “ The Protes¬ 
tants (as the Reform-party generally was called) and—what 
was most damaging yet to them and their common cause— 
became in the hands of their bitterest opponents—The 
Jesuits—a destructive weapon against them. But aside 
from his fanaticism, bigotry and egotism, Calvin was quite 
an efficient reformer, full of energy, who went in his reforms 
farther than either Zwinglius or Luther. He restricted his 
labors by no means to reforms in doctrines only ; but ex¬ 
tended them also to the Church government; abolishing 
the Episcopal and substituting the Presbyterian form of it. 
What a pity that a man of his abilities and euergy could mar 
lus work and stain his character so lamentably by acts of so 
much intolerance, bigotry and fanaticism ! The burning of 
the learned and very meritorious M. Servitus (1553), at least 
by his connivance, if not by his demand, as many pretend, 
leaves an ineffaceable stain on the name of this reformer. 


CHRISTIAN'S AMD CHRISTIANITY. 


223 


CHAPTER XI. 

THE DOCTRINES OF CALVINISM. 

Calvin ’ s doctrines are mainly comprised in his famous 

Five Points . 1, Predestination (that all men have sinned 

m Adam, and have become liable to thecurso; but that God 
has by an eternal decree chosen some from the begining to 
whom he should impart faith of his free grace, and conse¬ 
quently salvation) 2d Sufficiency of Christ's Death and 
Sacrifice (that it is a sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the 
whole world ; and that some only believed and are saved, 
whereas many perish in unbelief arises not from any defect 
in this sacrifice, but from the perversity of the non-elect.) 
3d .—Total Deprevity — (that all men are conceived in sin 
and born the children of wrath, and are neither willing nor 
able to return to God without the aid of the holy Spirit)— 
4th .— Grace and Fee M«-(that the influence of the spirit 
upon our fallen natures does not foroe, but only quiokens 
and corrects them, inducing them gently to turn towards 
God by an exercise of their free will.) 5th.— Perseverance of 
The Fleet.— (that God does not wholly take away his spirit 
from his children, even in lamentable falls; nor does he per¬ 
mit them to fall finally from the grace of adoption and the 
state of justification). 

To these doctrines, as maintained and explained by Calvin, 
his adherents hold with the utmost tenacity and zeal. And 
yet, in course of time, these “ Five Points ” experienced so 
manyfold and so differently varying explanations that,to-day, 
it is rather difficult to determine what really is Calvenism ; 
since there are now so many sects and Churches all claiming 
to be “ Calvinistic,” and each one varying again from the 
others in its meaning and definition. 


224 


CIIRTSTTANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER XII. 

ARMINIUS. 

In Holland were the orthodox followers of Calvin (Dutch 
'Reformed), about One Hundred years later, greatly agitated 
by the teachings of Arminius , a professor of Divinity at 
the university of Lyden , He denied the correctness of Cal¬ 
vin’s “ Five Points,” and taught others in opposition to 
them. “That God had not fixed the future state of mankind 
by an absolute and unconditional decree.-—That Jesus 
Christ, by his death and sufferings made atonement for all 
mankind generally, and for every individual in particular.— 
That mankind is not altogether depraved; that de¬ 
pravity does not come to them by virtue of Adam being 
their head ; but that mortality and evil are the direct con¬ 
sequences of his sin to posterity.—That there is no such 
thing as irresistable grace in the conversion of sinners; that 
though once united to Christ by faith, they may fall from 
their grace again and forfeit it finally. 

Arminius was beyond contradiction the most rational, 
tolerant and—the most consistant of all the great reform 
ers o£ the Sixteenth arid Seventeenth centuries. He con 
tended for the fullest, most unconditional Freedom of Con¬ 
science, as also for the most unlimited liberty to differ from 
others. His aversion against all “binding” forms of faith 
was as natural as it was strong in him, and he declared in 
accordance with it even his own doctrines of creed only so 
far “binding,” as they agreed with the Scriptures, and as 
the believer was convinced of this agreement. He, there¬ 
fore, advocated throughout, and in matters of faith not less 
than in all other affairs, the utmost tolerance; as he him¬ 
self was not only the most tolerant reformer, but, probably 
the most enlightened, liberal men of his time. 


OnEISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


225 


CHAPTER XIII. 

thb remonstrants—synod op dort. 

Unhappily for him and his adherents those times were 
not ripe yet for snch elevated sentiments. Even Protes¬ 
tants and least of all the fanatical, bigoted and intoler¬ 
ant followers of Calvin, shared not yet these views. The 
orthodox Dutch Reformed combated his opinions with a 
ery zeal, and having the advantage of numbers and power 
oppressed and persecuted the Arminias with the most re¬ 
morseless hatred and cruelty. These addressed, then, a pe¬ 
tition (remonstrance) to the States general of Holland for 
protection (from which! act they received the name of 
Remonstrants” just as 100 years previous those protect¬ 
ing at Augsburg received, from their act, the name of “ Pro¬ 
testants.”) In response to their petition the States General 
ordered a Synod to take place at Dort, [1018,] where their 
complaints were to be heard and remedied. But as the 
“Orthodox Calvinists” had all the power in their hands, 
and the advantage of numbers in that synod—this could 
give no relief to the oppressed Arminians, and it was even 
succeeded by the most shameful and even bloody, persecu¬ 
tions. The venerable Barnevelt, who had rendered the 
most signal services to the Republic, and grown old in his 
devotion to the interest of his country, was by a most big¬ 
oted, shamefully biassed “ Commission of Twenty-six,” and 
on the falsest, most unfounded accusations, condemned for 
Treason 1 He lost, now Seventy years old—his head on 
the scaffold ! The learned Grotius was sentenced to impris¬ 
onment for life. But happily rescued from such a sad fate 
by a cunning ruse of his devoted wife—he escaped from 
the clutches of his enemies into Prance; and driven from 
there also by the still continued intrigues of his persecutors, 


220 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


finally into Sweden. Mosheim—unquestionably the most 
impartial, as the most able and reliable critic and authority 
in Church History—is of opinion, that even before the meet¬ 
ing of that synod it was agreed upon by the Calvinists that, 
“ on account of their religious herosey ”—the Arminians 
should be declared “ enemies of their country ” and—pun¬ 
ished as such!” 


CHAPTER XIV. 

CONTRAST BETWEEN CALVINISM AND ARM1ANISM. 

What a difference between the liberal , and consequently 
just and tolerant Arminians , and the bigoted, and—there¬ 
fore fanatical, intolerant, hating and persecuting Calvinists ! 
These latter were, in fact, as arrogant and intolerant as the 
Catholics and their Popes themselves, whose very arrogance, 
intolerance and corruption called the Reformation into life 
and gave these bigoted Calvinists themselves existence. But 
they had only reformed the dead letter, the insignificant 
form , but not the life-giving spirit of Christianity; while 
the Arminians, on the contrary, were indifferent as to letter 
and form, held to the true spirit of the Reformatio^: To 
Freedom of Conscience, the right of Private Judgmen£~ 
the right of every individual to believe according to one’s 
own convictions. The Calvinists, however, were unhappi¬ 
ly, if not in right, yet in might—and that was enough for 
blind fanatics of their ilk. They arrogantly claimed [as 
they still do] that they alone were “ orthodox ”—their 
creed and tenets the only true and right ones, and hence, 
every one who “ did not believe as they did ” a “ heretic,” 
all just as the Catholics. And they further claimed, like 



CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


22 1 


these, that according to the teaching of their Church and 
t\\eir Pope—the egotistic, intolerant Calvin—they had not 
merely the “ right,” but even the “ duty ” to punish every 
such heretic ! And “ religiously ” did they perform at least 
this obligation ! 


CHAPTER XV. 

A LESSON. 

And yet—what consolation, what enoouragemeut for Lib¬ 
erals, and what a lesson for, bigoted, intolerant Orthodox— 
furnishes the history of these very Calvinists i For what 
is Calvanism to-day after 200 years of might and power, 
and what Arminianism ? after 200 years of persecution by 
intolerant Calvanism ? 

There is to-day not a single one of the numerous “ Cal- 
vinistic Sects”—Presbyterians, Baptists, Congregational- 
ists, Methodists—or by whatever name they may be known 
—that had not been comjiellcd to give up (more or less yet) 
the original characteristic vigor of their creed—their “Cal- 
vanistic ” intolerance, bigotry, fanaticism, and become— 
probably as far as it is possible for such fanatics and bigots 
—tolerant towards other Churches and creeds; and become 
thus Ghiefly on account of the Arminian (liberal) spirit 
growing, and steadily increasing in their own ranks ! For 
there is to-day not a single one of these “ Calvinistic ” or 
“ Orthodox ” Churches that had not a very considerable 
number of its own members more or less u Armianized'” 
yea, even not a few, and these the most able and influen¬ 
tial ones—of their own Clergy ! * 

* As proof of this I will only refer to H. Ward Beecher’s preaching—as remark¬ 
able and renowned for its Liberalism, as this celebrated minister himfelf is for 
his eloquence. But a not less strong negative proof furhishes the generrl indig¬ 
nation on Mr. Fulton’s genuine Calvimstic sermon on Charles Dickons—which 
caused so much excitement at Boston. 




228 


CHRISTIANS AND CIIEIOTIANITY. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

TUB GREAT CONSEQUENCES OP THE REBOEMATION. 

This is it, then, what I repeatedly indicated, and to what I 
so often directed the attention of my readers in the proceed¬ 
ing parts of this little volume—what I designated there 
The Great Consequences of the Reformation —and 
which I declared to be so much superior to even the Refor¬ 
mation itsel£ For the Reformation proper was, in its first 
period—say, its first century—restricted mainly to disputes 
and quarrels about abstract doctrines, mere dogmas, their 
meaning and wording &c., &c.—not merely between Cath¬ 
olics and Protestants, but even among the great reformers 
themselves and their respective adherents—the various Prot¬ 
estant divisions- Its Results in that period were, therefore, 
only discord, hatred, persecutions—wars and misery. For 
it was, as yet, unproductive of any of its greater bene¬ 
fits, devoid of its better qualities and many fold blessings, 
all inherent in its true nature, but at that period, still 
dormant in its great bosom. Only the passions, which it 
aroused and nourished, were active and—horribly destruc¬ 
tive. Even the Great Principles themselves—which either 
produced the Reformation or were evolved by it in the 
course of its progress—were not yet understood in their 
essence and true nature ; and not by the masses—the people 
—only, but by the great reformers themselves, who conten¬ 
ded mainly for the forms, quarreled among themselves about 
doctrines and dogmas, their formulation, explanation, mean¬ 
ings &c., &c. In short, these fonght about the shadow and 
ignored the substance. They left, consequently, too much 
untouched that ought to have been reformed, and most of 
what they did refonn, was not done—not improved—as it 
CC 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


229 


ought to have been. Thus it was, that the Reformation — 
in spite of all the commotion and turmoil that it created— 
brought, during its first period, but few and questionable 
benefits. Were we, then, to judge it only by what it then 
accomplished, estimate it but by what it effected in the first 
century ; it would not be that Great Event , that Glorious 
Result , that Blissful Cause as which we must need recog¬ 
nize and price it now ; would not have been worth one drop 
of the streams of costly blood, not one thousandth part of 
the misery, sufferings and devastations that it brought over 
thousands and thousands of individuals and families, over 
many countries, and even over a whole continent ! 

But the Reformation is by no means narrowed down to 
so limited a period, it ought not, for it cannot, be judged 
by the imperfect reforms in the Church, in her doctrines 
and dogmas merely, to which it was limited in its infancy; 
but by its Great Consequences. Viewed in the light of 
their brilliancy only does it appear in its true greatness, its 
full benefit, its entire blessing! Viewed in that light only 
are cognizable the manyfold and gigantic benedictions it 
bestowed on all creeds and all mankind! In its Grand and 
Glorious Consequences only was it worth all the sacrifices 
it has cost, all the misery it has brought and all the suffer¬ 
ings its birth has caused our ancestors, and would have 
been worth them had they even been a thousand times more 
and a thousand times greater ! 


CHAPTER XVII. 

REVIEW OF THE CHURCH AND CHRISTIANITY BEFORE THE REF¬ 
ORMATION. 

But to understand this better, to comprehend it fuller and 
to estimate it more adequately, let us look, once more, 



230 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


upon the conditions the Church, Christianity, all Europe were 
in, the utter darkness that reigned, the ignorance and su¬ 
perstitions that pressed down the naiions there before the 
Reformation. We need only go back to “ The, Dark Ages ” 
to see what those times, Christianity, the Church and all 
humanity then were! But what a gloomy, frightful picture 
shall we have to unfold! What a terrible amount of igno¬ 
rance, superstitions, “pious” frauds and forgeries, bigot¬ 
ry, fanaticism, corruptions and profligacy to uncover ! And 
yet—dark as this picture, appalling as the corruption in 
the Church, the vices and profligacies of her clergy, the 
superstitions, the misery of unhappy mankind in general 
were; no one could dare lift the vail from ofl this horrid 
picture with impunity. No one could attempt to remedy 
these dreadful evils without incurring the maledictions and 
the severest punishment of—The Church! No! he was a— 
Heretic !-the most to be dreaded word, the blackest crime 
in those anti-Reformation days!—For a “Heredic” was 
hardest punished of all the “ criminals ” (!)—generally 
burned—for his temirity and “ crime ”! (See ii. Per. Chr. 
and Chr. chap, xviii & xxviii—iii Per. chap, ii.) 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE MERIT OF LUTHER AND THE OTHER REFORMERS. 

Such, then, was the condition of “ the Mother Church ” 
and her unhappy children just before the Reformation;— 
and such, and, perhaps, worse yet it would be to-day had 
there be no Reformation ! The merit of Luther and those 
other reformers of the Sixteenth century was, therefore, not 
so much a religious as a moral one. It is chiefly their mor¬ 
al courage to have dared confront this great and certain 



CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


231 


danger—to venture the hazardous battle to despoil the 
Church of her horrors, her magnates of their omnipotence, 
and to have risked “to reform” the Church in spite of her 
ban s and excommunications,” her dungeons and Au- 
to-da-fes that deserve and gained them the everlasting 
gratitude of all redeemed generations coming after them ! 
And though we must still consider their religious reforma¬ 
tory work rather a failure, at least lamentably defective; 
and though this part of their work was most inadequately 
done : we must, for that, not judge them too harshly; for 
they have, nevertheless, the immortal merit of having dared, 
of having willed and of having tried it to the best of their 
knowledge and ability. And though they may even ap¬ 
pear to us most singular contradictingly: noble patterns of 
courage and daring, fearless champions of Free Thought 
and Free Conscience; and again contemptible fanatics and 
bigots, passionate haters and intolerant persecutors ©f hon¬ 
est opponents it is this only the natural consequence of 
human imperfection from which no mortal is exempt; as 
also the irresistable effect of their time, and of the preju¬ 
dices generally prevailing in it—and which was too strong 
for even their own strong minds. And however liberal 
and enlightened—for their time—they may have been, yet 
they were also subject to the influence of the passions’and 
prevailing ideas characterizing these times and men gener¬ 
ally. In this, however, they were not inferior to other times 
and other men, and must therefore not be censured too 
strongly. For at any time there prevail certain passions 
and ideas characterizing and inspiring it audits generations 
—from which none—even the most enlightened and best 
men, are entirely free, independent and untainted. 


232 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

THE RILGRIM-FATHERS. 

If we thus consider these heroes of the Reformatibn , their 
merits and demerits, virtues and vices, excellences and de¬ 
fects in this true light, it will appear less strange to us when 
we, just One Hundred years after them, find the very same 
contradictions—their own virtues and vices—in a similar 
class of men. It is, namely, this singular contradiction of 
these great reformers, this same imperfection of these heroes 
of the Reformation—their daring and courage and disdain 
of personal danger; their zeal for religion, warmth of con¬ 
viction, high estimation of their right to believe according 
to these convictions; but also their fanaticism and bigotry, 
their intolerance against, hatred and persecutions of, all 
those who differed from them, their views and doctrines; 
their arrogance in laying down “ Rules of Faith ” for, and 
making them “ binding ” on, all men and all times—that we 
meet again in “ The Pilgrim-Fathers ” of this country (and 
in their descendants, too)! Oppressed and persecuted for 
opinions sake in their own country, injured in their own 
convictions and conscience by the bigotry, intolerance and 
fanaticism of a vindictive Church and clergy; they prefer¬ 
red self-expatriation and freedom to home, an oppressed 
conscience and imposed belief; dared the dangers of a pas¬ 
sage across a broad, imperfectly known ocean; the haz¬ 
ards and hardships of a life in a foreign wilderness peopled 
by ferocious savages, in order to enjoy the untrammeled free¬ 
dom of their faith, a belief in accordance with their own 
convictions, and a worship in harmony with their own best 
judgment. But no sooner had they effected a settlement, 
had they begun to clear their wilderness, were they allow¬ 
ed to form their own communities, to establish their own 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


233 


government, to enact their own laws; than we find them as 
igoted, as fanatical, as intolerant and persecuting as were 
those that drove them across the sea ! William Roger— 
when he tried to make Freedom of Conscience and a wor¬ 
ship according to a man’s own convictions a practical truth 
-was by these very same “Victims of Intolerance ” mer- 
cilessly driven into the woods inthe midst of winter and to 
hostile Indians ! Quakers were hanged, Baptists banished 
and poor, old women burned as witches—by these 
same “freedom-loving” zealotic “Pilgrims,” and a series 
of laws enacted by them which surpassed in severity, bigot¬ 
ry and fanaticism even their own John Calvin himself— 
stern, fanatical and lbigot as he was ! 

Such, then, were the so much-lauded “ Puritans ”—a mis¬ 
nomer, quits in keeping with their arrogance, self-righteous¬ 
ness and bigotry, but very little in harmony with “the 
purity of their religion ” that it was meant to indicate. 
Their laws, habits, customes and institutions propogated 
and nourished hypocrisy, fanaticism, bigotry, intolerance, 
an unlimited self-valuation and an arrogated censurship 
over all other men,creeds and communities to such an extent, 
that these bad qualities constitute even to this very day' 
yet the prominent traits in the character of the people of 
New England—the lineal descendants of these Puritans ! 
As these once themselves, in the true spirit of their own 
prototypes—the Pharisees of Christ’s time—impudently de¬ 
clared, “ The earth belongs to the “ Saints,” and—“ we are 
the Saints!” even so claim their “saintly” descendants to 
be better than others—to be “ Christians, Orthodox Pro¬ 
testants ” par excellence—and arrogate to themselves to 
“regulate” the Religion, Morals, Customs, &c., of this 
whole Great Republic according to their bigoted “ Puri¬ 
tanical notions.” But what a fine sort of Religion, Morals, 


234 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


&c., &c., they would establish and impose upon this whole 
nation if their power were equal to their arrogance, bigotry 
fanaticism, show best the records of their own past—their 
Colonial “ Blue-Laws ” Legislation ! 


CHAPTER XX. 

IS THEN THE REFORMATION AN ILLUSION ? 

And yet they are Protestants / Glory in the Reformation 
and their “ Orthodox ” and “ C alvinistic” creeds !—Is,then, 
The Reformation but an illusion ?—Wbre the struggles for 
its maintenance, and the sacrifices of our ancestors for its 
sake but made for a phantom ?—And were, after all, the 
Popes and the Jesuits, and all those who, with them, com¬ 
bated The Reformation in the right ? ? 

Ho, no, no !— Emphatically NO !—But I must also reit¬ 
erate again what I repeatedly asserted before : It was not 
the Reformation so-called—not its character as given, not 
the work as carried out by Luther, Calvin and their assist¬ 
ants and adherents that vouchsaved us the all priceless bene¬ 
fits that resulted from it ;-for that Reformation was yet much 
too imperfect, dogmatical and intolerant to have been pro¬ 
ductive of the full and countless blessings inherent in it;— 
it is but its Great Consequences that truly and lastingly 
so exceedingly benefited not only Christianity, but all re¬ 
ligions and all nations ; not only Protestants, but Catholics 
as well; not only “the Church ” and Christendom, but also 
Judaism and the Jews—as we have seen in the preceeding, 
and even Mohammedanism and the Moslems—as we shall 
gee in the following chapters ! 



CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


235 


CHAPTER XXL 

THE NATURE OE THE GREAT CONSEQUENCES OF THE REFOR¬ 
MATION. 

However, as there are still those Reformation-hating 
Catholics, those unreformed Protestants, those “ pious ” 
“ Orthodox ” and fanatical Calvinists who—though the lat¬ 
ter accept and cherish the Reformation, yet, like the former, 
deny and oppose its Great Consequences— it is time now 
and my readers may, perhaps, desire me, to show the true 
nature, to demonstrate the gratifying manner, the beneficial 
character of the Manifestations of these Glorious C on- 
quences of the Reformation ; in order to shame their foes 
and silence their opponents, to encourage their advocates ; 
to inspire Liberals with enthusiasm, to arouse and strengthen 
their energies in their laudable endeavor to further and fos¬ 
ter them. 

The true nature of these Great Consequences of the Ref¬ 
ormation, then, as well as the gratifying manner of their 
unmistakable manifestations, has already been repeatedly 
indicated ; it consists in some Great Principles an undying 
Spirit —and is manifested : 

First—In the general acknowledgment of the Cardinal 
Principles of the Reformation: Freedom of Conscience , and 
in the prevailencc of its equally important co-relative: Free¬ 
dom of the Individual—and its right Self to examine JVhat 
and Why it shall believe. 

The authors of the Reformation, Luther, Calvin and the 
rest of reformers of the sixteenth century, as repeatedly 
stated, did not understand themselves, nor less reform ac¬ 
cordingly to these Great Principles, because they were seek¬ 
ing them in, and narrowing them down to, some dogmatical 
doctrines and external forms of belief; were hating and 


236 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


persecuting each other and all those who differed from them 
or refused to accept their views of these doctrines and forms 
&c., as badly as they hated, for this reasons, the Catholics, 
or as these hated them—and for the same reasons. Never¬ 
theless, these Great Principles were at least recognized in, 
and became, finally, a practical truth through the Reforma¬ 
tion ; although it took one hundred years to make them 
such by the teachings and doctrines of Arminius—the first 
and only one of the reformers who understood the Refor¬ 
mation rightly, taught and reformed in its true spirit. From 
his days to this these Great Principles became ever more 
and more understood, more generally practiced, better, fuller 
and lovelier developed ; so that now—however priests and 
Churches, fanatics and hypocrits may vet oppose them— 
they have gained such strength, such universal influence, 
that even these bigoted “ orthodox ” Churches themselves 
have to succumb to them ; that even they .cannot now op¬ 
pose them any longer without exposing themselves to the 
contempt, scorn and censure, not only of the better, less 
fanatical Christians, but even of the better class of their own 
members (See chapt. xvi.); that even the most bigoted and 
“ orthodox ” ones are compelled to disavow—if not honest¬ 
ly and heartily at least ostensibly—the intolerance of their 
“ Calvinistic ” creeds—and thus to acknowledge the Great 
Principles of the Reformation ; Freedom of Conscience and 
General Tolerance ! *But the greatest, fullest and most sig¬ 
nal victory gained these salutary Principles here in America 
—by having been engrafted into that “Great Charter of the 
People ”—The C onstitutian of these United States. 

nf%^Z St o St S? g } )ro 7 °J ° f this furnishes the late sermon of the Rev. Mr. Fulton 
of Boston, and Charles Dickens,, whom he “ truly orthodox sent to -Hell ! (See also 
chapter XV.)— Genuine Calvinistic , truly Orthodox and consequent with 
the tenets of his creed. as Mr. Fulton in his sermon certainly was—he forgot that 
Calvinism is on the wane. But the indignation of his own Church 
meinbers &n(\. of all orthodox Boston at such intolerance reminded him unmistakably 

DD 





CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


237 


Sorely feel the bigoted Calvinists, the fanatical “ Ortho¬ 
dox the Pharisaical Puritans the advantages these hated 
I fmciples had thus gained over their fanatical, bigoted nar 
row-minded Orthodoxy, and are now “moving heaven and 
earth to “ reform ” this liberal, “ ungodly ” Constitution, 
and to make it “Christian” (intolerant). Will they suc¬ 
ceed ’—Most assuredly not !-For the Reformation-its 
spirit its * Great. Principles are imperishable, inresistable; 
they will steadily be working onward ; its Great Conse¬ 
quences will march on triumphantly, conquering and de¬ 
stroying prejudices, fanaticism and intolerance in spite of 
all the strenuous efforts of fanatical Orthodox and hypocrit¬ 
ical priests to obstruct their brilliant course ! For three hun¬ 
dred years they have been thus fanatically and bigotly op¬ 
posed by the Church, her priests and Orthodox, and— lo, the 
residt /—It is—that in spite of all their most strenuous efforts 
to check them, in spite of their unremitted opposition to 
them we recognize as the next manifestation of these Glo¬ 
rious Consequences of the Reformation. 

Second—The astonishing Progress, the unparrelleled De 
velopment which they gave to general Culture, Civilization , 
Science, Art, Literature and Education. 

We have seen above ( 2. Per. Chr. & Chr. chapt. xviii. 
and xxvni. ; 3. Per. chapt. ii. and xvii.) in what an awful, 
deplorable state these were in before the Peformation. But 
how wonderfully have they improved since ?'! How aston¬ 
ishingly have they progressed through that great Event ? ! 
And to what a marvelously high degree are they now devel¬ 
oped ? ! For the unparelleled excitement which the Refor¬ 
mation produced, the mighty impulse which it gave to indi¬ 
vidual minds as well as to public sentiments; the never- 
witnessed interest which the frequent and excited disputes 
on religious questions, doctrines, theories &c., created; 


238 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


awakened also a new zeal, an extra-ordinary demand for 
general knowledge and information, a never-felt relish for 
Learning. The long-neglected study of the Old Languages 
was thus resuscitated,and the inestimable treasures of Knowl¬ 
edge, Science and Wisdom hidden in them brought into 
requisition. This happy, new-awakened zeal for Knowledge 
and Learning was, however, by no means restricted to the 
time of the Reformation or to its heroes only ; nor much less 
was it but ephemeral. No ! Ever since that great epoch 
Culture gained in extent, and became more and more general 
from generation to generation; Liberalism was generalized; 
Learning and Knowledge were improved and made universal; 
until in our own happier days Science, Civilization and Lib¬ 
eralism have reached a height' and an extent never before 
witnessed in the history of Man ! 

But the greatest, most striking manifestation of the Glo¬ 
rious Consequences of the Reformation we recognize, 
linally, in what we may cogently designate. 

Third—The Spirit of the Nineteenth Century . 

The two preceedingly considered manifestations of the 
Great Consequences of the Reformation are closely allied 
were, in fact, causal to this last and greatest one. As 
the past centuries were characterized by prevailing supersti¬ 
tion, ignorance, fanaticism, intolerance, hatred and persecu¬ 
tions for opinions sake or differences of belief and other 
outgrowths of a wrong education, misunderstood religion, 
false piety and other defects; so is the Nineteenth Century 
oharterized by an improved education, general instruction, 
universal tolerance and enlightened Liberalism of all class¬ 
es of citizens; further, by valuing men according to their 
intellectual, moral and practical qualities, and not as to 
their religious confessions or beliefs; by fostering tolerance, 
discarding fanaticism and eshewing bigotry and (especially 


Christians and Christianity. 


239 


religions) persecutions. In short, in recognizing in every 
one individual its natural and equal rights ; in acknowledg¬ 
ing *e paramount truth, that a belief founded on under¬ 
standing and a corresponding mobal life, and not a be- 
ie in certain dogmas, or the observance of certain forms— 
are the true characteristics of a genuine religious life, con¬ 
stitute and determine the real worth and value of men ; 
that, therefore, the Freedom of the Individual and his 
Conscience are Sacred and Inviolable ! 

True, however, there is yet,, even in this enlightene d 
Nineteenth century, too much of bigotry and intolerance in 

the “unreformed” Catholic, too much of the Pharisaic, old 

Puritan ” and “ Blue Law’s ” spirit in the “ Evano-elical ” 
“Orthodox” Protestant Churches; true, also, that this 
portion oi the Protestant Church works yet as hard against 
the most salutary Consequences of the Reformation as even 
the Pope and the Jesuits, and that they all are allied and 
arrayed against, the Liberal Spirit of the Nineteenth cen¬ 
tury. True again, that especially our zealotic Protestants, 
our orthodox Calvinists endeavor with all their might to re¬ 
duce our liberal Constitution into a sectarian, Puritanic 
instrument, as bigoted and intolerant as—they themselves 
are. True that even our Congress and our Legislatures are 
yet too much under the baneful influence of these fanatics, 
often ignore the Constitution and enact bigoted “ Sunday 
Laws ” and others m antagonism to the liberal spirit of 
this Great Instrument and Safe-guard of the People’s 
Rights. True once more, that fanatical or hypocritical 
City-Councils are, against right and equity, yet locking up 
the People’s Libraries on the “ Lord's day ,” (in order, I 
suppose, to with-hold from poor working men the light 
they might get there, and of which these blind zealots 
seem so much afraid !) Yet all these fanatical efforts will 


240 Ctl RIST1ANS AND CH RISTIANITY. 

be in vain and to no purpose ! For the Glorious Consequen¬ 
ces of the Reformation are stronger than even religious 
fanaticism and Puritanical intolerance! They cannot be 
legislated out; nor can the Spirit of the Nineteenth century 
be locked up by hypocritical Council-men ! No! These 
Glorious Consequences of the Reformation are just as irre- 
sistable to-day as they have been for the last Three Hun¬ 
dred years—and the Spirit of the Nineteenth century will, 
as it ever has, move mankind, will inspire, enlighten, im¬ 
prove, civilize, liberalize it, will develope itself, and man¬ 
kind with it more and more; so that The Spirit of the 
Twentieth century will most assuredly, and all the opposi¬ 
tion of all the Popes and Jesuits, all the Orthodox and Pu¬ 
ritans, all the bigots, priests and Churches to the contrary 
notwithstanding be just as advanced, just as progressed in 
proportion to even the liberal spirit of this enlightened 
Nineteenth century, as this is in proportion to that of the 
Eighteenth century and all its predecessors! For This 
Spirit is a real, is a living one—as is clearly and unmistaka. 
bly manifested in The Consequences of the Reformation, 
and PROGRESS, its element and Essence! 


CHAPTER XXII. 

THE NATURE OF THE GREAT CONSEQUENCES OF THE REFOR¬ 
MATION.—CONTINUATION.—THE SECULAR IMPROVEMENTS. 

But there is still another phase of the manifestations of 
this Spirit of the Nineteenth century that can neither be 
ignored nor mistaken. And though it is not exactly relig¬ 
ious in its character, it is, nevertheless, unmistakably and 
undeniable one of the great.Consequences of the Reforma¬ 
tion; namely, the enormous and astounding Secular Im¬ 
provements of this Nineteenth century. 



CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


241 


The marvelous progress which Science and Literature, 
Education and Civilization had gained since and through 
the Reformation, had, namely, also a most beneficial effect 
on Arts and Commerce and all the Social and Political Af¬ 
fairs of nations and their well being. And however great 
the progress may have been that “ Religious ideas and Be¬ 
liefs have made for the last two or three centuries—and it 
was, as we just have seen, amazingly great;—yet the pro¬ 
gress and improvement which Secular Science and Matters 
generally have made is still unproportionallv greater. It 
is utterly impossible to speak and treat, in so limited a vol¬ 
ume, of this important subject as comprehensively and effi 
ciously as I would desire and as its influence and incalcula¬ 
ble effects on human welfare would demand. Hence* I can 
only glance at some of its most obvious results ; only hint 
at some of the most valuable improvements men have made 
since the Reformation, or, perhaps, but since the commence¬ 
ment of the present century only, in Secular Affairs, in in¬ 
dustrial, social, mechanical and kindred matters. The great 
the inexpressible progress that all nations of Europe have 
made in these and in their Political Affairs, or are yet 
struggling to make—to say nothing of this country, that 
eclipses all others in these respects ; further also,the number¬ 
less—and many of them priceless-inventions and Discov¬ 
eries that have been made in all branches of Science, Arts, 
Industry, &c., <fcc., are so numerous, so momentous and of 
such consequence, that it requires a much abler pen than 
mine, and large volumes, to do them justice. I need only 
mention Steam and Electricity, Steamboats, Railroads, Tel¬ 
egraphs—or, perhaps, name but that great Wonder of the 
Age : the Atlantic Cable—that brings Europe and Ameri¬ 
ca to within one hour’s time distance—to call up the wonder¬ 
ment of any body and the incontrovertable proof, that the 


242 CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 

Nineteenth century surpasses all its predecessors not only 
in purity of its “ Religious Ideas and Beliefs,” in better 
understanding and more properly practicing Religious Ob¬ 
ligation, but even so in its Secular Affairs, in bettering the 
conditions of peoples, in furthering and improving Arts, 
Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, in short—in improving 
the World, in civilizing and benefiting mankind! 

Most all of these advantages and improvements named 
are, ’tis true, entirely Secular in their nature, and seem 
therefore, at first sight, not to have any connection with, or 
bearing on, Religion and her subjects and affairs. But a 
second view and a closer examination will show the most 
intrinsic relations between these secular and the religious 
matters, as also, that both are clearly to a demonstration 
but the manifestations of one and the same spirit: The 
Spirit of the Nineteenth Century, the Consequences of the 
Reformation, manifested only under different forms. 

These secular jfiiase of The Consequences of the Refor¬ 
mation are, further, also a Guaranty for the steady progress 
and never ceasing improvements not only of the Secular, 
but also of the intellectual and religions affairs. For they 
are all based on, are identified with, the present high state 
ot Civilization—and unless this will be abandoned, all its 
advantages anihilated, all its benefits destroyed, and we 
ourselves relapse into barbarism—for which, happily, there 
is neither indication nor probability—the Consequences of 
the Reformation will, nay, must work on—the Spirit of the 
Nineteenth century must manifest itself in all its difterent 
phases, must move, develope, advance, progress,, improve it¬ 
self and mankind—in spite of all the bigotry, fanaticism and 
hypocrisy that may yet oppose them! 

Such, then, are the blissful results, or Consequences, of 
the Reformation—against which the Pope and his minions 


\ 

CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 243 

sinned so much, which even some Protestants blindly and 
bigotly oppose and are so slow in learning to understand ' 
But both were and are mistaken ! The Reformation as such' 
as understood and effected by Luther, Calvin and their con¬ 
temporary reformers—was, as I have previously shown, 
(chap. xvi. and xviii.,) neither worth the intense hatred of 
the Popes and the Catholics, nor yet the extr erne lauda¬ 
tions and great sacrifices of the Protestants; for that Ref¬ 
ormation was made sterile of much good on account of its 
too dogmatical character. It was only when it became free 
from that strangling incumberance that it gained vitality, re¬ 
ceived life and.was made everlasting; it was only through 
the development of its Great Principles that it became produc¬ 
tive of so much good ; only by the agency of its Glorious 
Consequences that it proved itself the greatest blessing 
poor, deluded humanity ever was blessed with ! 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE. 

But black ingratitude it would be in us who now enjoy all 
these great and countless benefits without the struggle and 
blood they have cost, were we not forever gratefully to re¬ 
member those noble heroes whose indomitable courage 
vouch saved them to us; were we not greatly to venerate those 
great minds of past centuries who, by their writings and 
teachings, their salutary examples and influence, contribu¬ 
ted so mightily to develope the valuable germ of the Refor¬ 
mation into the sweet blossoms, to ripen it into the costly 
fruit of its Great Consequences, to guard and shelter these 
so efficiently against the pernicious frosts of bigotry and 
fanaticism, and to protect them so valiantly against all the 



244 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


threatening dangers from all their numerous enemies and 
various opponents. Unworthy of all these great boons 
should we prove, could we ever cease to thankfully remem¬ 
ber, to reverence forever those whole-souled men who 
dared speak boldly at a time when speaking was most danger¬ 
ous ; who stood defiantly up for Truth when death was yet the 
penalty for such audacity ; who advocated Tolerance when 
Bigotry was yet all-powerful; and who fearlessly declared 
Thought and Conscience free when a vindictive Church, had 
yet unrestrained sway over both-Thought and Conscience- 
and was a terror and a merciless foe to all who dared differ 
from her and the dicta of her proud prelates! 

We must forbear, however, to furnish a full list of that 
glorious galaxy of immortal names, and restrict ourselves 
to the review of merely some representative names and 
characters of their times and cause. We have already 
farther above (iii. Per. Chr. and Chr. chap, ii.) been speak¬ 
ing of the martyrdom of Arnold of Brescia, Waldus, Wick- 
leff, Hus, Hieronimus of Prague and Savonarola—the bold 
heralds and fearless pioneers of the coming Reformation. 
Noble victims of the superstition, prejudices and ecclasias- 
tic corruption of their dark times and yet d.arker Christian¬ 
ity—of arrogant priests and a vindictive Church. Vener¬ 
able men, who could neither be frightened by the persecu¬ 
tions and horrors, nor allured or bribed by the temptations 
of degenerate ecclesiastics; but who preferred rather to be 
made martyrs of Truth than violate their own honest con¬ 
victions and conscience, share in the voluptrousnesses and 
participate in the corruptions of a piofligate hierarchy. We 
have then seen the bold and daring Luther risk the ven¬ 
geance ot the Pope, disregard the warnings of well-mean¬ 
ing friends, and go undaunted to the Diet of Worms as the 

EE 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


245 


undismayed champion of Freedom of Conscience and the 
ng it of Private Judgment in matters of faith “ even if 
there were as many devils at Worms as tiles on the roofs of 
its houses.” Have then seen the gentle, but learned Mel- 
anchton defy danger, and become a faithful co-worker Luth¬ 
er’s; the more energetic Zwinglius reform courageously 
and even the stern, but able Calvin carry out his work firm- 
ly, though too dictatorily and fanatically. All these great 
reformers, however, either prepared only, or introduced the 
Reformation ; but were themselves yet too much “ the chil¬ 
dren of their time ” and its defects, too much “ the slaves 

of the latter,” the bondmen of fanaticism, to understand it 
and themselves rightly, to comprehend it fully, and to re¬ 
form in its true spirit; were yet too bigoted and fanatical 
themselves to carry it out logically, consequently and thor¬ 
oughly. But when they and their time—and with it some of 
their defects and errors—had passed away, then we see the 
man who first understood and comprehended the Reforma¬ 
tion rightly—disregarded the form and held to its spirit:— 
then we see Armimus teach the paramount value of its 
Great Principles, insist on the individual right of opinion 
even in “matters of Faith and Belief,” and demand Toler¬ 
ance for all opinions. And after he was dead and gone, 
we find his liberal views adapted and most ably defended 
by the gifted Grotius who exerted a very great influence, 
first in his native land, Holland, and afterwards, after his 
“ providential ” escape from the clutches of the bigoted 
but all-powerful Calvinists—in France and Sweden, and, in 
deed, in all Europe. About 50 years later exerted the phil¬ 
osophy of Spinoza and Locke (both born 1632 ; the former 
in Holland, A Jewish parents; the latter in England) 
and their writings generally, a very great influence in all 
Europe, combating and destroying a great many prejudices 


246 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


and all sorts of obstacles that still obstructed the better devel¬ 
opment of the Reformation and its Consequences. Their 
philosophy and writings had thus prepared the more liberal 
and progressive spirit of the Eighteenth century and that 
of its writers, in and by which the Essence of the Reforma¬ 
tion—its Great Consequences, began to manifest their salu¬ 
tary effects in the growing Liberalism and Tolerance. 
However but slow progress was yet made in this respect in 
the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries. The beneficial in¬ 
fluence that the last named philosophers and kindred writers 
had exerted—considerable as it was—was yet too much lim¬ 
ited, because restricted mainly to the so-called, “ Learned 
World,” (then much more separated from the “unlettered,”) 
the People, then now. Better progress, hpwever, was made 
in the Eighteenth century. We find in it not only more 
liberal authors, but also a more susceptible “ people,” and 
thus a more general and wider diffusion of liberal teachings 
and sentiments. Of the great and salutary influence that 
the writings of Lessing and Mendelsohn (both born 1729) 
exerted in Germany we spoke at greater length above (See 
iii. Per. Jews and Jud. chap. iii). They gave tone to the 
better writers then living or soon succeeding them in Ger¬ 
many. Their number is very great, and their merits so con¬ 
siderable, that the fame of the most prominent of them was 
not confined to Germany alone. E. Kant (1724,) and Fichte 
(1762) were philosophers of European celebraty; and the 
mild and philanthrophic Herder (1744), an eminent, 
very liberal Divine and great scholar, contributed much 
through word and pen to liberalize his hearers and readers 
by unremittingly combating ignorance, prejudices, super¬ 
stition and intolerance. But for all these (German and 
other European) celebraties of the Eighteenth century had 
Christian Wolf, (the son of a tanner, born 1639; but after- 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY". 


247 


wards baronneted on account of Lis many and great merits), 
prepared the way by his new and liberal philosophy, which 
combated most vigorously and efficaciously the then grow¬ 
ing “ Pietism,” Mysticism, (See more of it iii. Per. Jews 
and Jud. chap. X.) among Protestants. Accused by the 
“ Pietistic ” J. J. Lange, a professor at the U niversity of 
Halle, of “ contempt of Religion ” he was by the despotic 
Fred. William I, King of Prussia, exiled (1723) under the 
manace of being strangled in case of his return. But on the 
enlightened and liberal Frederick’s the Great succeeding 
him, Wolf was recalled (1740), made Privy Council of the 
King, and Vice Chaucelor of that very same University of 
Halle. In England where, in spite of Locke’s, and the other 
Liberals’ of his time, writings much bigotry and fanaticism 
still prevailed, had the writings of David Hume, (1711) 
greatly promoted Liberalism. In France, also, wrote the 
sentimental but philantropic J. J. Rousseau with much ef¬ 
fect against bigotry and fanaticism and to further Tolerance 
and Liberalism. 'Through the combined influence of all 
these celebrated philosophers and authors, and of many 
more of their renowned contemporaries, were the Conse¬ 
quences of the Reformation steadily more and more devel¬ 
oped, and Liberalism and Tolerance rapidly diffused over 
most countries of Europe. Even America had then its 
Apostle of Liberty and Liberalism. 

In these connection I must speak, however,more especially 
of two authors of the eighteenth century whose writings 
had the greatest effect on their time and contemporaries ; 
exerted a most beneficial influence, and contributed most to 
the abatement of superstition and prejudices. But although 
they thus benefited their contemporaries most essentially, 
they have, nevertheless, been more hated and vilified, more 
slandered and calumniated, than were, probably, ever any 


248 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


two authors. These two good and brave, but shamefully 
abused and misrepresented men, were— Voltaire , in France, 
and Thomas Paine in America. It is imjDossible to show 
fully the intrinsic value of their services without going also 
what I am not permitted to do in these limited pages—their 
biographies, or at least a compact and coursory account of 
their lives and labors ; or to get even a proximate idea of 
their immense influence on their times and oontemporaries 
without also speaking at a greater length of them than I am 
permitted to do. Their writings, too, were decidedly much 
the plainest, most logical, least theorizing of those of any au¬ 
thor’s on similar subjects; they were, therefore, most easily un¬ 
derstood, best comprehended and most extensively read by 
the, so-called, “uneducated” or “less educated” classes-by the 
People for whose especial benefit they were written. Both 
these meritorious authors were, namely, thoroughly con¬ 
vinced that all the misery and all the sufferings that pressed 
upon the people, had their origin in—Ignorance—the igno¬ 
rance and superstition of the people themselves. And the 
deeper they felt for, the stronger they sympathized with, 
the heartier they pitied and commiserated them ; the more 
earnestly they endeavored to enlighten them and to stop the 
poisonous source whence flowed all these evils. Their phi¬ 
lanthropic efforts were then, as a matter of course, just as 
damaging to, just as dreaded and hated by, those classes 
who lived on, and were benefited by, the ignorance and 
credulity of the “ masses ”-as they were salutary for the 
people. What, then, was their greatest merit in regard to 
the latter class—was the unpardonable sin and “ a heinous 
crime” with the other classes—and the real and only reason 
of all that hatered these evinced, all that malignity and all 
that defamation they perpetrated against these two good men 
all that depravity with which they blackened their eharac- 


(1IRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


249 


ters, and all those slanders, calumnies and lies with which 
thej' branded their memory ! The privileged nobility and 
lascivious clergy of France were just as much in fear of the 
scathing satyr, the sarcastic wit and damaging lagic of 
Voltaire's writings and their telling effect on the people—as 
the clergy and “pious” Orthodox of America were-and 
for the same reasons-of the cleverness, boldness and truth 
in those of Thomas Paine’s. 

But Thomas Paine had also, besides his great merits in 
that respect, rendered his adopted country—America—such 
inestimable services in her hour of need, and her darkest 
days “ that tried men’s soul ’’—that they alone ought to have 
been as sufficient a barrier against all vile slanders of all 
the lying priests in the world, as they ought to have for ev¬ 
erlasting tunes endeared his memory to his countrymen. In 
greatful acknowledgment of his eminent services voted him 
the Legislature of Pennsylvania £5000—a, for those days, 
very considerable sum ; and the Legislature of New York 
rewarded them with a valuable farm—(New Rochelle), on 
which he afterwards spent the remainder of his useful life. 
There was no one man of his time that had greater merits 
about this country ; no, not a single one ! Even the emi¬ 
nent services of his intimate friend—George Washington 
himself gigantic as they -were—were scarcely superior , 
yea, that valorous sword of “ The Father of his country’’ 
would, in all probability, never have been drawn “ in the 
noble cause of his country ’’ if the mighty pen of that so 
much abused “ Author Hero ” had not unsheated it by the 
all-inspiring enthusiasm that his “ Common Sense ” had cre¬ 
ated among all his countrymen ! There cannot be the least 
doubt but the memory of the man who first dared speak out 
the word and popularize the idea of Independence of Amer¬ 
ica in his electrifying and all in-spiring language of “Com- 


250 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


mon Sense”—would to-day be as dear to Americans as even 
that of Washington himself, if he had contented himself 
with the inestimable services rendered America and the 
American cause in her great struggle of independence, and 
—had stopped there. But well knowing that this indepen¬ 
dence—to the accomplishing of which he had devoted his 
life and best energies—could neither be secure nor lasting, 
or, if lasting, could not make his beloved America as great, 
as powerful, as happy as it was his ardent desire and great 
aim to make her ; well knowing, that all his and his com¬ 
patriots best exertions must evidently prove futile and in¬ 
effectual if ignorance, superstition and prejudices were 
allowed to remain unchecked ; he engaged yet also in the 
Herculian enterprise to combat and conquer them too ! To 
that commendable end he published later also his “ Age of 
Reason ” and his other “ Theological Works.” And these 
it were, that gained him that bitter hatred, that umittiga- 
ted enmity of the clergy and the “ pious ” (!) Orthodox 
that caused them to slander, misrepresent, calumniate and 
vilify him so fiendishly, to lie about him so remorselessly, 
and to persecute him so cruelly, that his blessed memory 
had, with the credulous and deluded dupes of these crafty 
priests—and they ar6 still Legions even in our days yet! 
become as despised, his name as abhorred, as they ought to 
be honored, cherished and endeared! And though all these 
clerical lies and slanders have long ago and often been 
substantially refuted, * they are nevertheless, still repeated 
by lying priests, Christian (?) “ Tract ” and other “ Relig¬ 
ious (!) Associations,” &c., as also by “pious” and bigoted 
or hypocritical, speculating, time serving editors of Jour¬ 
nals and Periodicals, ! But such are priests—and such their 
baneful influence even in the broad day light of this enlight- 


* See “ The Life of Thomas Paine," Author of &c M By G. Vale. 





CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


251 


ened Nineteenth century! (What, then, may it have been 
in the “Dark Ages” of the past ?”(!) There can be no bet¬ 
ter proof of their own baseness as well as of the pernicious¬ 
ness of their blasting influence than Thomas Paine ! So 
great is even yet the curse of their corrupting power that 
the imbecil, fanatical, bigoted Councilmen of the City of 
Philadelphia refused, a few years since, to accept as a present 
a fine picture of Thomas Paine^ or even to give permission 
to his friends and admirers to place this picture of the Au¬ 
thor of “ Common Sense.” “ The Crisis ” and “ The rights 
of Man ” into the gallery of Independence Hall, side by 
side with the pictures of the other “ Heroes of the Revolu¬ 
tion ” that adorn its walls. 

But it is as significant a fact as indicative of the spirit of 
our times, the change of prevailing sentiments and the wane 
of these clerical imps—fanaticism, bigotry and intolerance 
—and withal as gratifying as those aforementioned facts of 
priestly malignity^ and councilmanic stupidity are revolting, 
that at this very moment the people of France, where, through 
the baneful influence of the encensed clergy and their sacer¬ 
dotal manipulations—Voltaire, was at the time of his death 
even refused an honest grave !—are now raising funds for 
the erection of a Monument in honor of and beconing the 
great merits of “ The Sage of Ferney But what is still 
more telling and significant of the liberal spirit of our times 
—they are raising them by accepting only a couple of sous 
from any one individual in order to enable all the hundreds 
of thousands of the admirers and lovers of Voltaire to 
testify their respect and reverence for him by contributing 
to his Monument! 

In America, likewise, is the number of those who respect 
and cherish Thomas Paine , who rever his memory and 
admire his genius, and—what signifies in “ free (?) America 


252 


CHRISTIANS ANI) CHRISTIAN IT Y. 


—that poorest of slaves to the tyrant “ Public Opinion ”— 
so much more than it would in France, in spite of its coup 
d' etat-government^ or in any other European country—those 
who dare avow these sentiments fearlessly and openly , are 
daily increasing all the strenuous efforts of clerical black¬ 
guards and pious Orthodox. * to the contrary notwithstand¬ 
ing. 

What matters it, then, that some of these clerical black¬ 
guards keep still repeating their silly stories and “ holy lies ” 
and calumnies ?—These have lost their former horror and 
charm, are still more and faster losing their pernicious, poison¬ 
ous influence of former days; for the Consequences of the Ref¬ 
ormation are against, have overcome them and made them 
harmless ! The Spirit of the nineteenth century has con¬ 
quered them and is destroying the ignorance, prejudices 
and bigotry of past days, is enlightening and liberalizing 
the age ! 

Who, when reading of the astonishing events in that 
mightiest stronghold of priestcraft, in that benighted land 
of the “ Holy Inquisitions when hearing the cry of “ Down 
with the Rope /” when seeing insults heaped upon his Nuntius 
by the outraged and enraged people of Madrid /—when 
witnessing the clamor and shouts for ‘ Freedom of Worship P 
of “ Liberty and Equality for all religious creeds! ’ in big¬ 
oted, priest-ridden Spain applauded ! * * * can yet doubt 
the final victory of the blessed Consequences of the Refor¬ 
mation , the final entire and perfect triumph of the mighty 
Spirit of the nineteenth Century and its resistless progress! 


♦ How very much the times have changed and such bigotry and fanaticism are 
now on the wane, and Reason and Liberalism in the accendency proves the inter 
astingbook Exerter Hall ' and its quick sale. This true mirror of our times 
far outdoes Thomas Paine’s famous “ Age of Reason " yet it is published by the 
American News Co as a speculative publication and is, as such , a success And 
the clergy find it best—t© say nothing at all about it. 


FF 




CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


253 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

SPIRITUALISM. 

I. Before closing the article “ Christianity ” fully, I must 
yet speak of one of the curiosities of religious speculations, 
perhaps religious extravagancies, or whatever we may con¬ 
sider and call it—Spiritualism. 

What is Spiritualism really ? I confess, I do not know. 
There is so much claimed for it by one class of Spiritualists 
that is disavowed again by others, that it is rather difficult to 
tell what is Spiritualism, and that we may only be save in 
asserting, “ All is not Spiritaulism that is claimed, by some, 
as such.” 

On the other hand it must also be admitted that Spirit¬ 
ualism has, perhaps, not yet had a fair, full and impartial, 
scientific investigation to make us so acquainted with its 
true nature—whatever this may be—as to justify us either 
in rejecting it entirely as a delusion —a humbug; or in ac¬ 
cepting the correctness of its theories and principles. All, 
then, that we unhesitatingly may admit in favor of Spirit¬ 
ualism is—that Spiritualists, as a class, are Liberals—not 
the least merit of and advantage to Spiritualism—and that 
whether it be a reality or a delusion, it has been and is still 
doing a great deal of good in causing hundreds, thousands 
—and when we may believe its advocates—even millions to 
renounce their old religious superstitions and become Liber¬ 
als—opponents to the thraldom of Church or sect, and pro¬ 
moters of Free Thought and Progress. But I am rather 
apprehensive that, while they are giving up one sort of error 
and superstition, it is only—in exchange for another one. 
And yet it can not be denied that our knowledge of Xature 
and her varied and great agencies—such as Electricity, 
Magnetism, Attraction and Repulsion &c., &c., is far too 


254 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


imperfect to enable us to judge competently and reliably of 
their causes and effects, and that “ there may be more things 
between earth and heaven than our philosophy dreams of.” 

II. If, then, Spiritualists would only base their belief 
and theories and “ manifestations ” on these material things 
there might be some sense, good sense, too,in it; but 
basing their whole system on “ Spirits ”—things (?) of 
which they themselves, as well as we, know still infinetly 
less than even of the former, and which, at the very best, 
are but, problematical— is, to be charitable and say but the 
least of it—a delusion; but we would more probably come 
much nearer the truth in calling it a— Humbug l 
d o Materialists, to those who do not believe in any, 
“ Spirit ” or “ Soul ” existing as an entity , as something 
different from their material bodies, or as separate from 
them, and anything else than the effect of their physical or¬ 
ganization—a belief, by the way, for which there is at least 
as much reason, argument and proof, and more probability 
than for the existence of a “ Soul ” or “ Spirit ” as entities 

—it must certainly be either a delusion or an “ imposition”_ 

a Humbug of quite a serious nature. 

But even for Spiritualists , or such non-Spiritualists who 
yet believe in these non-descripts called, “Soul ’’—“spirit ”— 
and in their logical consequence—Immortality—it must, 
seems to me, be rather difficult to explain the “ Modus Op- 
erandi ” by which “ departed ” and “ disembodied ” spirits 
may return to, remain “ hovering around the earth and the 
inhabitants thereof’’—may “communicate” with, “ affect,” 
or “operate upon,” the “ spirit ” in the body.” Nor canl 
see any great advantage, desirability, or much “happiness” 
and “consolation” in such an Immortality, as is claimed 
for it by the believers, nor any boasted “progress” in such a 
State after life. 


CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY. 


255 


III. It will, further, scarcely be necessary for those of 
my readers who gave their attention to what I said above 
on Wonders (See ii. Per. Chr. and Chr. chap. X.) to speak 
here again at any length of “ The Wonders of Spiritual¬ 
ism” or the, so-called “Spiritual Manifestations.” Although 
I leadily admit that there are still too many wonderful man¬ 
ifestations in Nature, of which even Science in its present 
state cannot give any sufficient and satisfactory explana¬ 
tion ; yet I contend that it is, nevertheless, pretty sure that 
whatever their character may be, they are but natural, phy¬ 
sical phenomena. If I should, then, see the most wonder¬ 
ful (so-called “ spiritual ”) manifestations, (I am anxious to 
see any of them, but in spite of all I ever tried, I could not 
as yet be favored by any,) ever produced, or claimed to 
have been produced by u Spirits they would not in the 

least affect my belief in, or ideas of them. All they could 
induce me to do, might be to admit that I witnessed certain 
“ manifestations,” to affirm this fact. But though I might, 
as the greatest scientist living might, probably, not 
be able to explain them satisfactorily, or, perhaps less 
yet, to reproduce them; yet I would, nevertheless, reject 
the spiritualistic explanation—their spiritual agency, and 
contend for a physical, natural one, as yet hidden to 
me and Science (as at present advanced), and therefore 
temporarilly inexplainable. 

IV. Another strong impedement to belief in Spiritualism, 

I find, further, in its results—or rather resultlessness; hav¬ 
ing had, as yet, no specific results whatever. Its advocates 
claim quite a considerable antiquity for Spiritualism, as also 
a “ steady development ” and gradual progress as one of its 
characteristics and essential to Spiritualism. Now, with¬ 
out disputing, here this claim of its antiquity—it is well 
known that the so-called “ Developed Spiritualism” of our 


25G 


CHRISTIANS ANI) CHRISTIANITY. 


own clays at least, has had an existence of upwards of 
twenty years. Yet what new truths have there been “ de¬ 
veloped ” by it, either in its long or short existence ? What 
have we learned by its “ manifestations^ by the “commu¬ 
nications of Spirits,” by the teachings of any “medium” in 
or out of its “ trances ”—that was not also known long; be- 
fore the “ development ” of Spiritualism ? Or what “ pro¬ 
gress ” was made by it in general or special Knowledge, 
Science, Arts, &c., what new facts were brought out, what 
new truths “demonstrated” by any “medium” that a 
non-Spiritualist—a Materialist did not or could not have 
also known, developed or communicated? 

All the “ positive ” gain, then, that Spiritualism, antique 
or modern, in any and all its “phases,” has as yet brought 
Spiritualists or the world, seems to be the progress that it 
and they have made toward Liberalism—certainly a very 
decided “ positive” gain—a not to be slighted “Progress !” 
And in this sense I heartily say, “ God speed Spiritualism !” 


3- MOHAMMEDANISM AND PAGANISM. 


A. TURKEY. B . CHINA. C . JAPAN. 

CHAPTER I. 

PROGRESS OF TURKEY. 

There is but very little to say of Turkey and Mohamme¬ 
danism as of the other Asiatics and the Reformation—which 
of course, did not much affect them. Not only on account 
of its specific Christian character, with which neither the 
Mohammedans nor these Pagans had any affinity; but also 
on account of the great distance and exclusiveness of China 
and Japan ; or the estrangement and even hatred between 
Mohammedans and Christians, at least since the time of 
the Crusades. 

It is, further by but very slow steps that Mohammedans, 
as, in fact, all Asiatic nations and religious progress. And 
yet even there, even in Turkey, China and Japan, we see the 
unmistakable manifestations of the Consequence of the Ref¬ 
ormations, notice clearly and perceptably the indications of 
the naisant Spirit of the Nineteenth century, the hopeful 
signs of Progress! 


CHAPTER II. 

ABDUL-AZIZ-KHAN, SULTAN OF TURKEY. 

Since the commncement of the present century there 
have been a few Sultans in Turkey who 'were favorable to 
reforms and progress in their empire; and since about a 
quarter of a century there has been, slowly but steadily, 
growing up a party of reform and improvement of which 




258 


MOHAMMEDANISM AND PAGANISM. 


much may be expected. For though this party is but small 
yet, it has, nevertheless, life and energy, and comprises 
within its ranks some of the best, most enlightened and 
most influential men in Turkey. Even the present Sultan, 
Abdul-Aziz-Ivhan, is the most liberal ruler Turkey ever had, 
friendly to useful reforms, and-not the least valuable and 
necessary quality in a reformatory Sultan—not afraid to car¬ 
ry them out. His last visit to European Christian mon- 
archs is a striking proof of it, although it has been estimated 
much too low of its real significance, as well in Europe as 
in this country. It must by no means be looked upon in 
the light, nor taken as one of that sort of “ friendly visits ” 
as take, for individual purposes or political reasons, often 
place between one Christian potentate and another; nor 
must it be considered as an ordinary novelty or curiosity ; 
for it amounts in itself to—a Reform in Turkey, where it is 
believed to be in conflict with the Koran, un-Mussulmanly, 
and was as much a bold daring on the part of the Sultan, 
as it was—on these very grounds—obnoxious to and opposed 
by,the orthodox Mussulmen. But the Sultan did even not stop 
at this audacious, though, it may seem to us, but small be¬ 
ginning. Soon after his return from the above mentioned 
visit we learned that, as the first fruit of it, he established 
a School at which 300 Christian children are to be educated, 
side by side, with 300 Moslem children ? Next, he began 
to reconstruct his Cabinet in a most progressive manner; on 
the inauguration of which he addressed it in so liberal a 
speech that it would have been an honor even to the queen 
of England to have delivered it! The proposed establish¬ 
ment of equality ‘of all the different creeds in his vast and 
miscellaneous empire was the next, and so gigantic a meas¬ 
ure, that, by it, he put himself, at oncej ahead of even most 
all the Christian monarchs of Europe! 


MOHAMMEDANISM AND PAGANISM. 


259 


CHAPTER III. 

CONTRAST BETWEEN THE SULTAN AND CHRISTIAN MONARCHS. 

There would, indeed, be much, very much hope of this 
Turkish Sultan if—Christians would only let him alone' 
But unfortunately for him and Turkey-and, probably, also 
as much for the peace of Europe—Constantinople, and the 
Bosporus with its Dardanels, have long since been too much 
coveted by, have still too much charm, too much attraction 
for at least one of the European Christian monarchs. Pol¬ 
itics, all sorts of mean intrigues, and very questionable 
“ diplomacies ” have been most unscrupulously tried by him, 
but, thus far, have all failed to satisfy the covetness of that 
“ oivilized (?)” and Christian potentate. Better results he 
expects now, and it seems, he will gain after a while, from 
Religion—or rather from her genetic monsters—hypocrisy, 
bigotry and fanaticism. The frequent revolts in those pro¬ 
vinces of Turkey where Christians form a majority, or where 
they constitute at least a considerable portion of the inhab¬ 
itants, seem finally to crown the “ religious zeal (.?)” 0 f that 
monarch with the desired result, and Europe is now every 
little while and probably so long agitated by the serious as¬ 
pect of “ The Eastern Question,” until Constantinople will 
fall a prey to his “ Christian zeal.” This same Christian 
Tyrant shows thus his ardent zeal for the « Christian relig¬ 
ion,” and great anxiety for the_i‘ welfare ” of his “ Christian 
brethren ” in—Turkey; he had, however, no sympathy for 
his own subjects, fellow-Christians as they were; but exter¬ 
minated Poland without remorse, and even in spite of the 
remonstrances, and in disregard of the general outcry of all 
Christian and unchristian Europe expunged it from the 
ranks of nations! “Pious (!)” Christian England oppres¬ 
ses Christian Ireland without any scrupule worse, much 


260 


MOHAMMEDANISM AND PAGANISM. 


* 

worse, than the Mohammedan Sultan treats his Christian 
subjects. And finally the manyfoklly perjurious Napoleon 
prevents by the brute force of his bayonents “ a friendly 
nation , ” his own protige against—his rival ! to free itself, 
to get its own capitol into its own hands, and to wrest it 
from the grasp of its “ Spiritual Tyrant !” And yet these 
are the champions of the Christian subjects of the Sultan! 
These the monarchs who claim the right to “ protect ” them 
against the “ injustice of the Sultan (?)” because they are 
Christians! But such is “Religion”—and such purposes 
she is made to serve, such vilanies to cover. 


PAGANISM. 

B. CHINA. 

CHAPTER I. 

favorable changes in china. 

This rich, large and populous country, so long a “ lerra 
incognita ” for the Western World , is, as also its neighbor, 
Japan, with its somewhat similar report, also giving hope¬ 
ful signs of the workings of the Consequences of the Refor¬ 
mation and the breathing ot the Spirit of the Nineteenth 
Centuiy on it. The last Chinese Wonder is an indication 
of its awakening to the demands of the time, and is of the 
utmost importance not only to China, but to us as well. Our 
own Minister to that “ Flowery Kingdom, ” Mr. A. Burlin¬ 
game was, by it, sent back to Washington as Chinese Am¬ 
bassador of full rank, with a corresponding Chinese Cortege, 
to negociate a “ treaty of friendly intercourse,” &c. And 
having succeeded at Washington in this object of his mis¬ 
sion, he is at present in Europe for the same purpose, where 
he is equally successful, and has already concluded similar 
treaties with all the “ Great Forcers ” and even with most 
of the “ Lesser Powers ,” too. Ilis great object may, then, 
be considered as good as realized, and our most sanguine 
expectations, may perhaps, not be it any less. * 

Later news from China, however, speak of “ massacres of 
foreigners ” and of a hatred the sentiments in regard to for¬ 
eigners which would make the above hopes illusorist. So 
are these affairs at least represented by some diplomatic 
and missionaries. No doubt, the lower classes of Chinese 
are ignorant, therefore, bigoted and fanatical and the tools 
of their priests—as the ignorant lowerer classes are amono- 
us and all peoples. But the few impartial reports that 


* See T. Per. China, Chap. X, Note, where I stated that Mr. Burlingame has since 
died, but that his successor is still in Europe as Ambassador as he was. 




262 


JAPAN. 


reached England speak of these massacres, &c., as caused 
by incensed Chinese on account of some violent acts and 
“ too much zeal ” of some missionaries. These, private re¬ 
ports probably speak the truth. 


C. JAPAN. 

--- 

CHAPTER I. 

PLEASANT PROSPECT IN JAPAN. 

And what astonishing progress has not Japan made since 
about a quarter of a century ? The commencement of the 
present century found Japan as inaccessable to Europeans 
and Americans as it was One Thousand years ago. Now, 
however, Europeans and Americans have not only their 
Diplomatic Agents accredited by that government, and mer¬ 
chants securely settled there ; not only several ports of that 
fine and rich country are now opened for our vessels, and a 
line of steamers connecting Japan with this country, 
bringing us regular mails and news from there less than a 
month old—(a space of time greatly insufficient fifty years 
ago to bring them from Europe !) but even (as has been al¬ 
ready stated I. Period, Japan, chap. IV.) the Japanese Gov¬ 
ernment itself sent, a few years since, its own Official Am¬ 
bassadors to America and Europe to get information respect¬ 
ing the state of these countries, their civilization, arts, 
customs, peoples and governments, and even Japanese 
Princes are at this moment receiving their education at Paris 
(France) and at Boston (Mass.) and other places in this 
Country \ 




japan. 


263 


CHAPTER II. 

THE REVOLUTION IN JAPAN. 

But a revolution has broken out there about two years 
since (See i. Per. Japan, chap, ii.) which may yery con¬ 
siderably change not only the political, but also the relig¬ 
ious status of Japan; for it is as well religious as political 
in its character. And though this revolutions may be con¬ 
sidered as good as ended and successful in its next and os¬ 
tensible object the restitution of the supreme political 
power to the Mekado, who is also the spiritual sovereign of 
Japan; yet its final results in all their bearing are not so 
decided. 

There is, however, enough known, it seems, to justify us 
to hope that the prior friendly relations towards foreigners 
will not be changed or disturbed; and this fact, if fact it 
will prove, alone would insure progress in Japan. 

If only no such hostile and bigoted acts are perpetrated 
or provoked—-there as happened lately in China. (See iii. 
Per. China, chap, i.) and that the Western Nations will be 
just enough to prevent their Diplomatic agents or religious 
missionaries from insulting Chinese or Japanese so as to 
stimulate their fanaticism and hatred, and excite them to 
acts of violence and retribution—all may be well, and Japan 
as well as China will progress in their civilization and enter 
as brothers into the great family of nations to benefit them 
and be benefited by. 


RESUME. 


When we now overlook again the begining and growth— 
“ The Origin and Development of Religious Ideas and Be¬ 
liefs ”—we will find, that “ Religio?is ” or what, under its 
various and ever varying forms, was held, or may still be 
held, as such, is by no means, as it advocates pretend, the 
result of an inborn faculty of man (inate), as Reason for 
instance, but an acquired quality, dependent on various ex¬ 
ternal and contingent circumstances, and, under their influ¬ 
ence, developed in time and by its events. Hence, the 
“ Primitive Men ” could have had no “ Religion” of any 
form whatever ; for not being a natural (inborn) faculty, it 
could also not be developed like one. Reason , however, 
(as all physical or mental faculties) is natural to man, and, 
consequently, developed in a general, natural manner ; al¬ 
though this development may be promoted or retarded, as¬ 
sisted or obstructed, true or false, according to the condi¬ 
tions under which the individual or a society (family, com¬ 
munity, state, nation or nations, &c.) live and the influences 
which act upon them. The natural faculties, moreover, are 
often superior to these conditions, and, sometimes, develope 
themselves, in some unusually gifted individual, in an un¬ 
commonly happy, (yet natural,) manner, as it were of them¬ 
selves, and even in spite of all (inimical) conditions, merely 
by virtue of their natural energies. “Religion,” on the con¬ 
trary, being but acquired from external influences and un¬ 
der favorable conditions, is ever dependent on, subjected to, 
and rises never above them. Individuals who figure in the 
history of men and religion as founders of the different 
“ Religious Systems ” that have been or may still be exis¬ 
tent, are, on that account, no exception to this general rule. 



EESUiUE. 


265 


They may have had a better, happier development of their 
in themselves great natural faculties, and by virtue of these 
greater natural energies and their happy development or 
other favorable conditions, have become superior to their 
time and contemporaries, may have been wiser, more expe¬ 
rienced, &c., than these, and thus enabled to use them and 
their conditions for their own personal purposes, &c.;—but 
their “ Religion ” was neither any better nor more devel¬ 
oped than that of the rest. 

It must be well understood and remembered, however, 
that I am here speaking of “Religion”per so , and not also 
of Philosophy; nor of any connection of the two; nor less 
yet of any “ development ” of the former by aid of this 
latter. For they are two very different things and must 
well be kept separated if each shall be conceived and un- 
dei stood rightly. _ This is the more necessary as they are ever 
found combined, whence their essence so much confounded. 
Their very natures, however, are most inharmonious; are 
homogenious in nothing. The one claims to be superhu¬ 
man, pretends to a supermundam origin, and to a miracu¬ 
lous development; the other, on the contrary, is but, nor 
pretends to be anything else, than human, is founded in hu¬ 
man nature, and results from a natural development of this 
human nature and its faculties. As it originates, so is it 
developed, improved—or degenerated—in just proportion 
as this nature and its faculties are developed, improved—or 
violated and degraded. With it, then, all is but human, 
natural. It claims neither any “ miraculous ” inspiration 
when it is sublime, nor any miraculous cause when it de¬ 
generates. 

If these premises be correct—and they certainly are— 
the logical deduction must be, that “ Religion ” could not 
have “ originated ” with the “ primitive men,” and that these 


266 


RESUME. 


could have had or known no Religion ; but that they were 
merely awed by some physical powers that affected them 
but which they could not yet comprehend. They became, 
then, an easy prey to those who, by some means or other, 
were enabled to learn to comprehend some of these “awful” 
physical powers and their effects, or obtained some knowl- 
edge, arrived at some understanding of Nature, her forces, 
laws, &c. To exhibit their acquirements, practice their skill 
to perform “ a little Jugglery,” was just as human and 
natural in them, as the astonishment and awe of the masses 
at these performences, their reverence and veneration of the 
Jugglers. But unfortunately it was also just as natural for 
these embryo priests to represent themselves as “ The Min¬ 
isters,” The “Especial Favorites,” the Beloved Servants of 
these dreaded powers—as it was for the inexperienced, and 
consequently credulous and astaunted masses, to accept and 
reverence them as such. Very naturally became then the 

Religions” of the primitive men, their next generations 
and their descendants, the worships of these “ powers ” as 
interpreted by their « Ministers,” “Favorites” or “Servants” 
all of which I have stated more explicitly when speaking 
above of “ Primitive Men? 

These “Favorites” or “Servants” (Priests) had thus 
gained a start, an advantage and influence over their fellow- 
men which they not only used to the utmost extent for 
their own selfish purposes, and to the detriment of the masses, 
but they endeavored also to perpetuate them. In both they 
succeeded marvelously. Religion thus originated, formed 
and developed by priests in their own interest and in a 
manner most favorable to it, became, in their hands, also a 
most powerful instrument for the subjection of the masses, 
for rendering them their blind and willing tools, and to 
forge the enchanting chains that should keep them in eter- 


RESUME. 


267 


nal servitude to, and dependence on them. 

Such, then, were the relations between Priests and Masses 
for centuries after centuries, and such they are still among 
almost all nations and peoples. For whatever their (the 
priests) own progress in Culture, in Science, in Philosophy, 
in Literature, &c., whatever the advancement of the masses 
in Aits, in Industry, in Commerce, &c., was, the priests and 
their aim were everywhere and at all times the same, and 
they understood it perfectly to keep the “ Religion ” of the 
masses—and with and through it the masses themselves—in 
their own hands, to secure to themselves the obedience and 
reverence of the latter, and all the advantages of their (the 
priests) assumed, and by the former “piously” acknowl¬ 
edged, superiority. And how much ever their own culture 
and knowledge, and as a consequence their own “ Religious 
Ideas and Beliefs,” were superior to those of the masses— 
they still continued to keep them carefully concealed from 
the masses and to teach them, as “Religion,” fables, and, 
whatever they deemed most conducive to their (the priests) 
interest, to augment their power and influence over the 
masses, and to perpetuate their arrogated privileges, their 
reverence and veneration by, and the credulity, blindness 
and dependence of the masses. 

Such, then, was the “Origin,” and such the “Develop¬ 
ment of “Religious Ideas and Beliefs ” from the “ Primitive 
Man” through many and long centuries. And however 
sublime the Philosophy of the Ancients may have been, and 
however we may be astonished at the attainments of the 
Philosophers of Antiquity; these very same Priests whom 
we must censure so strongly, whom we must accuse so 
severely when Priests—were also these same Philosophers 
whom we must admire so highly, whom we must venerate 
so profoundly, and to whom we are indebted so unspeaka- 


268 


11ESUME. 


bly! But as their sublime philosophy, as most all their 
knowledge and culture, was kept concealed from their masses 
and taught only to priests and in secret—their own con¬ 
temporaries were but comparatively little benefited by it, 
and they had, in fact, but very little to thank them for. At 
a later period, ’tis true, and by younger nations, especially 
at the Golden Age of Grecian Culture , philosophy and gen¬ 
eral knowledge were not more thus the monopoly of priests; 
yet even then it was mainly the Philosophers and their 
pupils that were enlightened, much as the nation, the peo¬ 
ple generally, were also benefited by it. Similar again it 
was in Home. But even there, even in cultivated Greece 
and learned Rome, ignorance, superstition, &c., were still 
sorrily prevailant among the benighted masses, while the 
speculations of their philosophers, the genius of their poets 
and artists, rose to a height, astonished, but scarcely ever 
reached, by later generations. Such a favorable state of 
general culture is, however, almost exclusively, found but 
by these two most civilized and youngest nations of Antiq¬ 
uity. By less favored and civilized ones, as for instance by 
the Jews, where even the light of the philosophers was ob¬ 
scured by the cloud of prejudices of their priests and rabbis, 
and where it shone only now and then from the brilliant 
star of a Prophet—a gloomy night of ignorance, supersti¬ 
tion and fanaticism lay upon the land, and darkened the 
minds of the people. 

Into the darkness of the minds the rising sun of Christ¬ 
ianity promised to shed a new and brilliant light, in spite 
of the various specks and dark spots that originally clouded 
its lustre. The heroic spirit, the charity and unselfishness 
that animated the Christians of the 1st and 2d centuries, 
the readiness, even cheerfulness, to sacrifice their life and 

HH 


RESUME. 


260 


property to their “ Faith? were capable of, and might have 
produced, great and beneficial results. But unhappily 
Christtanity, too, became too seon (in 3d and 4th centuries) 
a Church, an ecclesiastical institutionT and amalgamated 
with the State and, from that time, its purity, its noble 
spirit, its exalted character, its holiest aspirations, were lost 
and henceforth it was only beneficial any more for the 
“ Church was made subserviant to her interest only, at 
the cost of Christians and Christianity. Its original spirit, 
its benevolent character, its noble simplicity were, from that 
period, ever more and more obliterated, falsified and cor¬ 
rupted, until finally The Reformation of the 15th century 
tried to check its corruption, to “reform ” it, and to restore 
it again to its original purity. In this great and important 
vjork, however, the Reformation also failed ; mainly on ac¬ 
count of the imperfection, passions and prejudices of the re¬ 
formers, that prevented them to understand the Reformation 
and its true character rightly,to reform fundamentally,firmly, 
thoroughly, logically and consequently enough ; in short, 
because they did not comprehend, did not reform in the 
true spirit of the Reformation. It was only when, by later 
reformers, this was recognized—when the Freedom of Con¬ 
science, when the right of Private Judgment, when Toler¬ 
ance and Liberalism were made the basis of reforms, that 
the true character of the Reformation began to unfold itself, 
that its high value, its great benefits, its salutary power be¬ 
gan to manifest themselves in the blissful results of its Great 
Consequences. These Great Consequences, then, are, as I 
have demonistrated at considerable length in these pages, 
all that is essential m the Reformation, as all that valuable, 
beneficial, salutary in Judaism, in Christianity, in Paganism 
—in all Religions ; opposed, as they are, to all that is false, 
erroneous—merely human, dogmatical, ecclesiastical in them! 


270 


RESUME. 


Therefore it is, that the “Church,” that Priests and their blind 
dupes are opposed to these—that Ministers and the Ortho¬ 
dox of all creeds are their deadliest foes ! But I have also 
shown what the essence, the spirit, the vigor of these Glo¬ 
rious Consequences are ; that they are invincible, irresista- 
ble, and will finally triumph over all the foes, all obstacles, 
will conquer all opposition, will improve the world, will 
^civilize and bless all Humanity forever ! 

Remember this, O ! stubborn Jews ! Take, intolerant 
Calvinists ! Be warned, bigoted Puritans ! Be hopeful, 
courageous, undismayed and persevering in your good and 
great work, ye Liberals , Humanists , and Reformers , and a 
final grand result will crown your philantropic efforts ! Ig- 
norace —this fructuous mother of superstition and all its in¬ 
herent miseries—will vanish, Education will enlighten, 
Liberalism will improve mankind, and Reason , will be en¬ 
throned in her empire; Moral and Justice will unite all 
nation that Fanaticism, Bigotry and Religion have so long 
kept arrayed in hostile attitude into one grand , common 
Brotherhood and a redeemed , love-bound Humanity ! 


y 




» • 
































































* 
































l 














. 





























r 




















































✓ 















L 























r 



















































































































* 























































































































































































. r. • 















_ _ . .m I . : 















































































% 







































































































